Dissonant
by LilithBrandon
Summary: AU: literally. The last Cullen standing is Bella. Actually, she's not standing; she's tumbling down a mountain and into a totally new existence. Only she doesn't know it yet. Everything is all messed up in this new world. Edward was not supposed to be mated to Rose, and why does Alice keep looking at her like *that*? Why the heck is everyone a Whitlock instead of a Cullen?
1. Go Round 1

**Disclaimer: **Twilight belongs to Steph M.

**Note:** Yes, it's what you think. I wanted an _Underworld_-esque Bella in this story, just less latex involved. Not that there's anything wrong with latex, but she wouldn't exactly fit-in wearing Selene's outfit in Forks now would she? Violence, time travel, alternate universes, romance, sarcasm, and random acts of lesbionics. I've got it all right here for you.

**Chapter 1**

After I closed my eyes I brought up the last memories I had of my family. I could live a lifetime's worth in mere seconds, and that's what I did before the ground exploded around me and I rolled down the mountainside. The heat of the trap that took Jasper had turned cold, like snow, like the last winter I experienced in Forks before the Cullens were forced to run. In fact, it was exactly like that.

I held on tightly to my weapons as I bounced along in the snow, slammed into trees, and finally coming to a slow slide until I stopped.

The sudden halt hadn't dazed me; there wasn't much that could, especially not a simple fall like this. Out of instinct I hit the ejection release and two empty magazines dropped out of the hilts of my pistols. Scrambling, I reloaded and sprung to my booted feet scanning around with both weapons held high, ready to fire on Kurtz. He was the only one that was left and I could swear I was able to unload three rounds into his chest as I fell. That should have been more than enough to ignite the venom in his chest.

I should be listening to his screams as his body burned to dust, but there was nothing other than the wind through the trees – trees where there shouldn't be any. I could have sworn we were in Prague twenty seconds ago, but I'd recognize the surrounding mountains anywhere. I'd lived here for long enough to memorize virtually every tree, every blade of grass, every…

Swallowing the venom in my mouth I swiveled my head back and forth, spun around and looked up and down the cliff face.

"Great, now I'm hallucinating, or my gift is screwing with me again."

Everyone thought I was a simple mental shield with the ability to project my powers to encircle those around me. My gift was much more complicated than that. During my human life I was a bad luck magnet. If there was a decent chance that I would fall, it would happen. If there was a good chance that danger was in the area, I would attract it. If the most powerful and deadly species in existence lived somewhere in the country, I would move to that same town and expose myself to it. I think you're starting to get the picture.

Instead of being a mental shield, I was something entirely different, Chaos incarnate. That was a big Cee if you weren't paying attention. The ordinary, average, everyday chaos – little Cee – could be something as innocuous as a drunk teenager that decided riding his bicycle through the halls of his local High School was the idea of a good time. Chaos – big Cee – was a being that was able to make even the most random thing happen with a mere thought, no matter how unlikely.

At first, it would seem as if a mind reader, for instance, wouldn't be able to read my mind. It wasn't because there was a shield in place to deflect the mental probe. It was because there was so much Chaos surrounding my mind that the probability they would be able to read its contents were nil, zip, zero, zilch.

I'd learned to live with my gift. There was absolutely no controlling it. Believe me, I've tried. Beyond bringing others into my sphere of influence I've got zero amount of control over what happens after. The harder I try, the worse things will happen. It was as if I was meant to cause chaos by my mere existence.

No, I wasn't surprised to find myself on the other side of the world; at least not so much that I dwelled on the subject. Weird things like this happen all the time. Well, maybe not exactly like this, but still. With my luck, my chaotic gift clicked into effect right at the exact same moment I was to die and then transported me to somewhere safe. Where better than fifty-two hundred miles away?

Emmett was the one that always said being around me was never boring.

All that aside, I stretched my preternatural senses to their maximum and came up with nothing but nature. If I was actually in Forks once again then I didn't need to shoot anything. Holstering my pistols at my side, I picked up the empty magazines and stashed them away for use later and then started toward the old house.

It had been burned to the ground back in fifty-three by Kurtz when he first found out where we were. We had returned a decade later to build a supplies bunker. It was there that I would be able to make some more ammunition and then return to Prague to find out if I was successful or not in killing the bastard that had done the same to my family. I'd also set aside a little time to stop by Charlie's grave. He died of natural causes back in forty-nine at the ripe old age of eighty five.

Being a vampire I got used to the constant barrage of life and death; it's pretty much what humans do. They live, breathe, eat, procreate, and die – not necessarily in that order. I'm pretty sure they do other stuff too, but really, those are the highlights. For the past twenty-five years I haven't really been too concerned with anything other than staying alive and keeping those that were close to me alive as well.

Edward was the first to go, since he was the first to read Kurtz's intensions when he arrived. Of course, my husband threw himself in the way to save my life while I escaped. Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie followed soon after. Emmett was inconsolable after that and he joined her within the year, but not without taking half of Kurtz's coven with him. A low grade tactical nuke is more than enough to vaporize a vampire, just in case you wanted to know.

Not that I didn't understand Emmett's feeling of loss and desire for revenge, but I wanted to make sure the guy that started it all was dead before I met my own end.

Alice, Jasper, and I lasted the longest for obvious reasons. Jasper was the one that came up with the idea of modifying existing weapons to carry enough power and incendiary explosive to take out a vampire. Ever since then we've taken the fight to them. Kurtz didn't use much time replenishing his ranks, but they were grunts with no usable gifts among them. Soon enough we'd worked him down to virtually nothing and then we pounced.

That's where we made our last mistake.

~O~

Ten minutes was all it took to run the distance to the tree line well behind the ruins of the old house. Simply to be cautious I took to the trees, as high as I could go, just to make sure I couldn't be scented. The outfits Alice designed were made specifically for that reason. I was of the mind that she finally had her chance to get me into something dark and skin tight. Everything was covered from neck to toe in some air tight fabric. Heavy duty boots and our weapons rigs were all that was left. That was covered up with clichéd long dark coats. Alice mentioned that if she was going to go out then it was going to be in style.

My ability to leave a scent was virtually nil. My hair, blowing in the breeze would drift away in a manner of seconds. To a vampire I was essentially invisible. That was saying something.

From tree to tree I leaped, keeping my eyes on the next jump and keeping my ears out for any sound that was out of the ordinary. When I was within two hundred yards I had to come to an abrupt stop.

Someone was there. Someone was on Cullen land, my land, and by the sounds of the noise, they were having a party.

Hatred welled up in my stomach; a feeling I had nursed like hungry newborn since its birth twenty-four years ago. It's what kept me going when all I wanted to do was join Edward. Revenge kept my hatred ripe and robust.

It couldn't be the wolves. They knew better.

The land hadn't been sold, because it would have had to go through Alice, Jasper, or me, at least before they died it did. That left vampires or humans. Since Kurtz had three of my rounds in his chest I sincerely doubted he was here.

"Fucking humans," I spat.

I didn't used to curse. I also used to live and let live when it came to humans, wolves, and vampires.

Things change. Hate changes you. Hearing the screams of your victims as they burn alive changes you. Having your entire immortal family die in front of your eyes changes you.

Within a hundred yards I could almost make out voices below the music. It was too loud to be able to tell exactly how many of them there were, but if they were human then there was definitely one way to scare them off.

Climbing a little higher, I looked around. The area close to my former home was lit up fairly well, but the canopy of the forest made it impossible to see anything else.

I breathed unnecessarily to calm my nerves, just as I did less than an hour earlier when I hugged Alice and Jasper for the last time. Slipping a hand to my web belt I withdrew my last white phosphorus grenade, pulled the ring, flipped the spoon off, and tossed it within fifty yards of the area, on the other side well away from me. If they acted accordingly, then they'd scatter.

The grenade may seem like overkill, but they were the perfect weapon against vampires. Upon explosion they threw gobs of white phosphorus around. Once exposed to air, it burned, and didn't stop burning until the fuel ran out. All you need is just a little exposed venom and that's all need be done; poof, flaming vampire. The problem was that it was messy. There was no telling where the stuff would fly, so it was useless as a weapon up close. That's what the hand cannons were for, and since I had their attention diverted in the opposite direction I thought this was a perfect time to drop in on my uninvited guests.

At preternatural speed I leaped from tree to tree until there was a gap large enough in the canopy to jump in a high arch, clearing the rest in a single bound. Midway into the jump I pulled both pistols, ready to kill or at the very least scare the shit out of whoever thought it was a good idea to invade my territory. A half second later I nearly dropped them when I saw the house – the Cullen house just like it was before, down to Esme's rose garden in the back.

My attention was drawn so much toward the impossibly restored house that I didn't realize I was close to the ground until the last possible second to recover. That was all it really took. I was a vampire after all, and I was trained by the best vampire killer in North America.

Mud and sod exploded around me when I landed on one knee and snapped my pistols up at the first movement I saw. A girl screamed to my right, but I was already stunned into immobility at the sight of Edward Cullen standing not ten feet away from me with wide surprised golden eyes. My mouth opened and then snapped shut.

"Edward?"

Something slammed into me from the left. Instinctively, I slammed my elbow onto the head of whoever it was and twisted away, but he'd already gotten a good grip on my waist. Instead of trying to pull away any further I wrapped my legs around him and squeezed with everything I had. A rib gave under the pressure, but he didn't waste any more time holding me down. Instead, he slammed his fist into my kidney.

Pain speared through me and that just drove the anger within me even further, fueling my desperate need to live long enough to see Kurtz's ashes.

Dropping one of my pistols I jackhammered my fist onto the side of his head.

"Jasper!" someone screamed.

The next thing I knew someone else grabbed my free hand while the person who tackled me was dragged off. My remaining pistol came around, straight into the face of…

"Emmett?"

"She's a vampire," he yelled and swung at me.

I dodged to the side hearing his fist impact with the ground. We had to stop. First a clone of Edward and now Emmett. I had to reassess the situation and tone things down before I could make a decision on whether or not to kill these people.

Jackknifing, I wrapped my ankles around his neck and pulled, forcing the Emmett clone to either let me go or lose his head. When he flew across the back yard I grabbed my errant pistol and rolled to my feet with the house at my back.

Mud dripped off of me in clumps, some half covering my face, but I couldn't spare the time to wipe it away, so my aim was roving from one shape to another, keeping them back. "Who are you people?"

"Who are we?" a girl that strangely sounded like Alice yelled. "This is our land! Who are you?"

Taking another step back, I bumped against the house and took a split second to wipe at my face. I had to see them properly.

Emmett was standing there, being held back by Esme. His hands were clenching and I was well familiar with the anger showing on his face. Edward was off to the right with Rosalie behind him peering over his shoulder. Jasper's face was littered with cracks, but they were healing over as quickly as I took him in. Alice stood in the center of the crowd looking at me like I was insane.

"I said who the hell are you?" she reiterated.

My knees gave out as I heard the splat of mud underneath me when my knees hit. "I really am dead… and I'm in Hell."

Dropping my pistols I grabbed my hair and screamed. I had finally gone to Hell and this was my punishment, seeing my family all together and them not recognizing me.

"I can't read her. She's blocking me somehow," Edward said quietly.

"I can't either," Jasper added.

There wasn't anything left to do but laugh. Dropping back against the house I looked up and did just that. Emmett appeared as if he was over his anger and was looking at me like I was one banana short of a bunch. That was right before he saw Alice start approaching me.

"Uh, Alice. Getting closer to the psycho chick probably isn't a good idea."

Rosalie had to put her two cents in as well. "Can someone take the really big guns away from the crazy lady?"

My eyes snapped to hers and I leaned forward enough to grab the only things that were tangible in this nightmare.

Alice paused and saw that I wasn't pointing them at anyone in particular. At this point there was mud caked in the barrels and they were useless until cleaned, but they were mine.

"You seemed to know Edward and Emmett," she offered in lieu of asking me another question.

Looking to my right I spotted Edward and then I moved to Rose. "Rosalie Hale, Edward Mason Junior, Emmett McCarty, Esme Platt, Jasper Whitlock, and Mary Alice Brandon. All we're missing is Carlisle and we can have a going away party for my sanity."

Alice blinked and then her eyes widened. "Y-you know my name—my full name?"

All the wariness was gone from her face and in its place I saw her searching me, looking for something, as if she was trying to remember but couldn't.

"I can't deal with this," I muttered.

Shoving my pistols in their respective holsters strapped to either thigh I took advantage of my position and sprang into the air, to the top of the house and started running. Any place would be better than squatting there staring at my past – a past that I could never have again. It didn't do any good to torture myself more than I had when I took my first step away from Edward and let him defend me to his death.

Seconds later I was well within the woods and the agonizing phantasms were left behind. I didn't stop until I was well north of Forks. I still had to clean my pistols and all my tools were left back in Prague. Not having a way to defend myself beyond my vampire abilities had me nervous. Gone were days of Alice predicting safe havens to rest or regroup. Paranoia and constantly being prepared was my future.

I'd have to buy a new cleaning kit, or in this case steal a new one since it was the dead of night. Newton's it was; if it was still standing that is. Forks' never-ending rain started up again and helped wash away the mud that still clung to me. I needed clothes, and somewhere to take a shower as well. Nothing makes a person stand out in a crowd more than being unwashed.

When I entered the town proper I noticed several things had changed since the last time I'd stopped by a few years back. It almost looked as if the place had regressed in time. The auto-Diner was once again manned by waitresses. The cars were… old, but new at the same time. It was as if classic cars were the new in-thing. Almost all of them looked restored to factory paint jobs.

"What the hell is going on?"

Seeing that the coast was clear, I raced across the highway and around the back of Newton's. Gone was the biometric alarm system and in its place was an antiquated analog keypad that I remembered using when I was the one that opened the store when I worked there.

Looking from side to side I decided to go ahead and try the old passcode. They never changed it the entire time I knew them, and any criminal worth his time in research could have figured out Mike Newton's birthday eventually.

The red light switched to green and I was further puzzled at how this was possible. Double checking again I grabbed the knob and easily popped the lock. So much for having to rush in order to be out of here before Forks' finest showed up to find out why an alarm went off. I could actually take my time as long as I wasn't stupid.

Grabbing one of the larger equipment bags I started shoveling supplies in, but not being really obvious as to what I was taking. They'd have to perform an inventory to figure it out. I'd be long gone by then. Two changes of generic clothes, the cleaning kit, oil, shoes, a camping bath kit and laundry detergent and I was finished.

I zipped up the bag and on the way out I spotted the cash register, which brought me to a halt once more. Nobody paid cash for anything anymore; not unless they were in a third world country. Everything was done by credit chips. Even the old plastic credit cards were antiquated and there was a POS capture unit on the counter for someone's Visa Mastercard. Beside it was a folded up newspaper.

Mrs. Newton used to sit behind the counter and do the daily puzzles while she waited for customers. I hadn't seen an actual newspaper in over fifty years.

Reaching into my jacket I pulled out my personal datapad. Most people liked to wear theirs on their wrist, but I hated wearing jewelry much less something so cumbersome.

I tried logging into the Oracle network, but I was hammered to a standstill.

_Unable To Connect To Network_

_Scanning Available Networks_

_Software Not Compatible with Area Networks_

_Activating Compatibility Matrix 7.62_

I stood there, open mouthed. It was the first time I had ever seen any of these messages. Oracle's reach was limitless on Earth.

_Network Acquired_

_Activating Decryption Software_

_Limited Download Speed Available_

_Activating Encryption Software_

_Browsing Available_

When it gave me the proper prompt I pulled up the Seattle network and had to go through almost everything again. None of my regular sites were available. The satellites that the Cullen family used weren't available and the datapad had to break into what was there. Even then there was a seriously sluggish response time compared to what I was used to.

"What – the – hell."

A prompt came up noting the pad had made a correction in the date and time. That usually happened when I crossed time zones, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Except it was. I took note of the new time and the date right below.

My knees felt like they were about to give out again.

_Friday, March 4, 2005_

"Time – I haven't teleported to Forks from Prague, I've gone back in time and teleported to Forks from Prague." There are some times that I really really hate my gift. "Okay, things make a lot more sense now."

Running through everything I've done since I've arrived I came to a sudden irrevocable stop. "Oh god. They're alive – and they probably think I'm some crazy lady with very large guns and a penchant for tossing around incendiary grenades. Sure – why not? Isn't my life screwed up enough?"

Then my mind clicked again. "Edward… oh no. Charlie! Oh crap! Me!"

Never being able to sleep has had a very effect on my reading habits. Including the classics that I enjoy picking up again and again, I have spread my interest into just about every area of fiction, including the speculative science fiction genre. I don't know how many books I've read that have included time travel amongst the clichéd plot points. There was so much that could go right and so much that could go wrong. So much that I didn't immediately know what to do.

Should I go to Charlie's house and see if I have a human duplicate of myself? Should I go back to the Cullen house to explain myself and beg to be let back into the family even though I'd be joining again in short time. Would there be two of me? Would I have to share Edward in some kind of twisted twin threesome polygamous marriage?

He'd never go for it. I knew my husband well and if I couldn't get him out of the missionary position without dismemberment threats upon Edward Junior then I sure as hell wouldn't be able to share him with myself. And why would I want to?

I was giving myself a headache and vampires don't get headaches.

"Start from the beginning, Bella. Then make your decisions and plan accordingly." That's what Jasper always told me when I started to go frantic, much like I was doing at the moment.

Seeing as how there wasn't any police breaking down the doors, and I knew that Newton's didn't have a surveillance system beyond the alarm at the back door, I went around the counter and started cleaning my pistols. It was something that relaxed me and made me concentrate on the here and now instead of being manic.

Fifteen minutes later and I was cursing how fast everything went using my preternatural speed. I even took my time wiping down my holsters. With an annoyed sigh I stuffed the kit in the bag and jammed the back door shut before rearming the alarm. Hooking the large strap over my shoulders I made for Charlie's house. Finding out if there was another me would either solve a number of problems or create many more.

Two minutes later and I was approaching from behind the house cloaked in the darkness of the forest. Sunrise wasn't for another three hours so I wasn't surprised to find the dark house. There weren't any odd scents in the air, but then again it was still raining, effectively destroying any in the first place.

Judging by the date, Edward should still be going through his creeper phase and I shouldn't know – _another me_ shouldn't know about his being a vampire. At least I don't think so. My human years were a little muddled, but I did take the time after my newborn year to sit down and hash out a timeline in my attempt to remember my past. It was mid-March when I confronted Edward in the forest by the school and he tried to scare me away.

The rain was making it difficult to hear sleeping people inside much less their heartbeats. Throwing caution in the wind I hopped down from the tree I was perched on and closed in on the house. My window was open slightly, so I took a chance and bounded up the tree by my room and latched onto the windowsill. Pulling myself up a little I peered through the crack and saw a lump in the sheets that was vaguely Bella Swan sized.

Using one hand to hold on and another to lift the window, I eased through and stepped lightly on the floor. The smell of human and freesia permeated everything.

"Damn, Alice was right; I do smell good."

Her blood didn't do a thing for me. Before the pitched battle against Kurtz in Prague, Alice, Jasper, and I raided a hospital's expired supply and got blood drunk. I wouldn't have to feed for a week or two easy.

It was there that I had to make a decision. I'd already screwed everything up with the Cullens. While the situation was probably repairable, it was going to take some time and probably a little groveling. On the other hand, I could tell myself. If I couldn't trust me then who could I trust? At least I'd have a place to keep my stuff until I could work out something else. Charlie might be a problem, but seriously, the man, while a little freaked out at first, came around to embrace the whole vampire thing eventually. Telling the other me would solve so many future problems as well.

James, Victoria, and Laurent were going to go up in nice purple flames when they arrived in Forks. Hmm, I wonder if Sam had already phased. Killing the rogue vampires might stop that altogether. Either way I needed to either go back to the veggie lifestyle or start raiding hospitals. Maybe Carlisle could hook me up. Animal blood is just nasty after having the real stuff for so long.

Meh, decisions to be made later.

I dropped my back to the floor, pulled the sheet back on the other me and slapped my hand down on her mouth while I held a finger to my lips with my other. Her eyes snapped open in panic and she even managed to struggle a little before I whispered.

"Shhh. I'm not here to hurt you, but I don't want you screaming and waking Charlie up."

When it was obvious that she wasn't going anywhere with me clamped down on her, the other me ceased moving and nodded, whereupon I eased off. She scrambled up toward the headboard and clutched the sheet tightly as if I was some common criminal there to steal her virtue or something.

"Relax," I said again before turning on the bedside lamp.

She squinted against the harsh light while I grabbed her warmup bottoms off the floor and pushed them up against the bottom of the door to reduce light on the other side and hopefully muffle our conversation.

"Who are you?"

I smirked and turned back around to see her studying me. "You don't recognize me?"

Her sleep-fogged brain appeared as if it was engaging. "You look like… me, only hotter. Oh my god. Charlie has another daughter. He cheated on Mom! I have a sister!"

"Uh, no. Try again."

"No? You're not my sister?"

"No." Reaching out my hand I said, "Here touch my hand."

She looked down at it for a moment.

"I didn't say _pull my finger_. Just touch my hand, Bella."

She wrinkled her nose at me. "It's _Isa_bella. I hate it when people shorten my name like that."

My mouth dropped open slightly.

"You're cold. There's another blanket in my closet if you want."

With a few blinks and a minute shake of my head later I leaned in and let her get a good look at me. "Does anything seem off to you?"

Her head pulled back as if I was invading her space. "Uh, you're really pale and you have freaky taste in contacts?"

"Oh brother." Pausing to keep myself from just blurting things out I said, "Does my appearance remind you of anyone… besides you?"

Apparently, lack of sleep made me loopy when I was human.

"Uh… no?"

I sighed and stood up to slide off my jacket. Isabella sucked in a harsh breath.

"Are those real?"

"What? Oh." I looked down at the weapons. "Yeah. Look, didn't you just move here a couple months ago?"

She nodded. "Mom married Phil and I moved in with Charlie."

Glancing around the room I saw everything was pretty much like I left it decades ago when I was the one in the bed and Edward…. A pause in mid-thought caused me to inhale deeply.

No vampires had been in here except for me. Edward wasn't being a creeper.

Spinning around, I closed in on Isabella. "This is a very important question. Are there any boys at school that you like – I mean _really_ like?"

Isabella appeared mildly affronted. "That's a pretty personal question for someone that I don't know."

"Answer me. It's seriously important."

"My love life is important to you?"

Rolling my eyes I rubbed at my temples again. My headache was back. The problem was I couldn't take any aspirin. Maybe if Isabella took some and I bit her and drank all of her blood… nah.

"Um… you probably don't know him. He definitely doesn't know I exist except when he gives me dirty looks if I get too close to him."

"Edward," I proclaimed.

"Eww! No! He's all Emo and uses way too much hair gel. It's his brother, Jasper." Her face lit up a little and she got a faraway look in her eyes.

Again, I was dumbstruck. "Apparently, I'm in a different universe. Not only did I transport from Prague to Forks, and go back in time, I've entered into some freaky alternate universe. This can't be happening."

"Oh!" Isabella exclaimed as she pointed her finger at me. "That's who you remind me of… the Whitlocks!"


	2. Truce

**Note: **Disclaimer in first chapter. Thank you all very very very much for all the comments, reviews, and well wishes. It's the best start yet for any of my stories and that's what keeps me writing. It's a wonderful motivator. If you have specific questions I always answer them, so feel free to ask.

**Chapter 2**

Moments after Isabella's announcement I whipped out my datapad and performed an Oracle search on Carlisle Cullen with appropriate dates included. Databases worldwide were being scoured for any and all mention of the man who was once my father-in-law. I sighed at how long it was taking. In 2077, on my world, I would have had the results in a matter of seconds, three at the most; that was the manufacture's guarantee.

I suppose I couldn't call customer support, at least not for another twenty years when a new company based out of the Texas Silicone Hills, made the internet obsolete and basically took over the world with their hardware and software. They made Microsoft look like the local mom and pop computer repair shop. Within two years they sold affordable datapads, or wristpads if you choose, that could virtually do anything, anywhere in the world.

Going on a full minute I was really starting to become impatient as Isabella slid out of bed and looked over my shoulder at the datapad.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Searching for Carlisle. Only your internet here really sucks."

"Yeah," she agreed and then froze. "Wait… what is that? Is that a computer? It's so small!"

Comparison examples popped up in my head, but then I remembered that even the most basic iPhone hadn't even been invented yet. "Uh… it's like a really advanced Blackberry."

"It's a phone?"

"It's a datapad," I corrected. "Imagine a device that is a cell phone, a computer, a remote for anything imaginable, that can probably burrow into any current software like it's not even there, and that's hooked into every satellite surrounding the world at this moment. If I wanted to I could probably pull up video feed from the White House bathroom security cameras or access NORAD."

Isabella's right eyebrow started lifting in disbelief. I was well familiar with the look since I used it quite often. "They don't make that kind of stuff."

With a shake of my head I agreed. "Not for another couple of decades. Of course, by then there are decent privacy laws and the software is unhackable, so I wouldn't be able to do it then. But for now I have access to the entire world."

She frowned like she didn't believe a word I said. I was familiar with that look too. "Who's Carlisle?"

With a couple of strokes of my thumb I pulled up my personal photos and then a picture of him.

"He looks like the Whitlocks."

I nodded and then moved to a family photo including me.

"Oh… Jasper! Why is he all… preppy looking?"

"That's Alice's fault. She dressed all of us, except for me. We used to get into the biggest fights," I mused. "I'm not exactly the height of fashion."

"Alice dresses Jasper?"

The datapad bleeped at me and I scrolled back to the search page. There was only a single listing with Carlisle's record of death back in 1663 when he was supposed to have been turned into a vampire. Pulling up a number of pictures I started a new search, this one to scour the same sources for any picture of him that's ever been published in any way.

Not wanting to veer too far from the topic I was driving at earlier, I turned to her. "Have you done any research on them recently, seen anything odd? Have you actually spoken to Jasper or any of the other… Whitlocks."

That sounded so wrong when I said it. I'm sorry, but I refuse to be anything other than a Swan or a Cullen, and I probably couldn't get away with being a long lost relative of Isabella's. Charlie grew up here and was an only child. People would see through that easily. Renée maybe. Even then all it would take would be a single call to her from someone in authority and my cover would be blown.

"Well… no, you'll think I'm stupid. This whole thing is stupid. I don't even know who you are, not to mention that you broke into my room in the middle of the night. I should just scream and wake Charlie up. He's a cop, you know."

I pursed my lips. "I'm you, from the future and from a different universe or world, one of the other. That's why I look like you."

Her lips parted and that disbelieving eyebrow lifted again. "Right. I'd never get plastic surgery to look that good and I definitely wouldn't use red contacts. I mean seriously. Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Okay… ask me something about your past that only you would know." This might actually not work. There were already variances in the timeline here. Her life could be entirely different from my own.

"Where did I hide my diary in Phoenix?"

My mind was a blank. This was a stupid idea. "Nevermind. Our timelines are obviously different."

She looked all self-satisfied. "Couldn't think of it, could you?"

"Oh, shut up. When I was turned into a vampire it messed with my memories… _and_ the timeline is different here."

Isabella took a cautious step away from me. "Vampire? So now you're a _vampire_ from the future _and_ from a different universe? Maybe you should go."

Okay, that didn't come out exactly as I planned, but now that it was out there I was sort of stuck making some explanations.

"That's why my skin is so cold, and my eyes are red. The Cul… Whitlocks are vampires too, but they only drink animal blood so their eyes are gold colored. Jacob and some of the La Push boys are shapeshifters, giant wolves to be exact. Have you been researching old tribal legends lately?"

"Cold ones," she whispered to herself as she looked away, but I heard it easily.

"Yes, I'm a cold one; a vampire."

Isabella slowly turned her head back to me in confusion. "Wolves though? The legends say they're descended from coyotes."

Why does everything have to be this difficult? "Wolves, coyotes; whatever. It's another thing that's different here. The thing is that it's all real. Anyway, if you and Jasper get together then odds are that you'll be a vampire very soon – or I could turn you into one. Either way I'll help out where I can."

That made her perk up. "Jasper?"

"Yes, look, I'm going to head on over there and try to get their side of the story so I can get caught up on the things that are different. I just needed to see if you were receptive to the idea of the supernatural actually being real."

She nodded more to herself than to me as she sat back down on the bed appearing somewhat disturbed. "Jasper… sometimes I think he's near. I can feel him or smell him or something. It's like he's watching me."

"Yeah, that's the way I felt with Edward when I was still human. At first he acted like I had the plague and then later he couldn't keep away from me."

Isabella pointed aggressively. "That's it exactly! He always looks like he's in pain whenever I get too close."

Picking up my coat I tossed it on and leaned against her dresser. "It's your scent, or your blood. Something about you is setting him off. He probably doesn't hate you or anything. He just can't stand to be so close to you and not rip out your throat."

She went pale at that little bit of information.

"Go to Newtons Outfitters tomorrow and buy some No Scent shampoo and spray. It'll help tone down your base scent enough to be around him. Or I could change you."

"You keep saying that. Do you mean that I could be…?"

"A vampire, yes," I confirmed. "I was changed a day before my nineteenth birthday. You'll look exactly like me, but with a more auburn hair color. Mine is dyed black for other reasons. Anyway, it's something to think about. If you're interested then I'll tell you everything you'll need to know so you'll know what you're getting into. Edward wasn't exactly forthcoming about the experience. I had to get it in bits and pieces over a couple years' time."

"Oh…"

"The one thing you have to know for the moment is that you can't tell anyone about this for now. My Charlie took it pretty well considering, but I think having me there for the explanation would be better. With actual proof he'd be less likely to put you in a mental institution."

"Ohh." That one sounded like she was starting to understand the situation. "Yeah. Well, who would believe me?"

"Exactly. So, sleep on it. Think about it. Douse yourself in the No Scent, and I'll go pave the way with the… Whitlocks." Heading to the window I pointed out my bag. "I'm leaving this here if you don't mind."

Isabella just shrugged and watched as I opened the window and dove out.

~O~

A few minutes and a moderate jog through a few miles of the forest surrounding Forks and I was walking at human speed up their driveway. I thought it best to approach with my metaphoric hat in hand this time. They'd have to understand about why I was freaking out, and why I burned a few trees down, and why I ran. Once my story was out then they'd obviously understand.

My datapad took that moment to bleep at me and I checked the results of the photo search. Zero. There wasn't one single picture of Carlisle Cullen that had been published on the Earth. When the house was in sight I spotted Jasper on the front porch and heard movement on both sides of me about fifty feet or so in the trees. From the scent, I could already tell it was Emmett and Edward.

Thumbing through my photos, I retrieved one and held up the datapad so Jasper could see it upon approach. "Before you guys attack, would you take a look at this?"

A branch groaned and the telltale noise of a vampire, flying through the air, sounded before I stopped, judged where he was going to land by the noise he was making, and took one big step backward. Emmett landed with a thud and a disappointed look on his face when he missed me.

Instead of retaliating I held up the datapad right in his line of sight. He flinched for a split second and then looked at what I had.

"Hey… that's me!"

Emmett made to snatch it out of my grasp, but I was quicker. "This is a one of a kind datapad. I don't need it destroyed by grabby hands."

With a swipe of my thumb I started the pictures in motion and held it back up. By this time Jasper had joined us and I could plainly hear Edward behind me.

"Where did you get these?" Jasper said. "I don't remember posing for any of them."

"Because you haven't yet. I took most of them myself, decades ago."

"Who is the blonde guy that's macking on Esme?" Emmett said with a growl.

"Carlisle Cullen. The leader of our coven," I answered calmly. "This is how I know all of you, but from my prospective most of you have been dead for over ten years, some of you for longer. Alice and Jasper died just over an hour ago from my perspective."

Edward showed himself. I watched every move he made. Nothing about him had changed in the least. The smooth gate of his movement, the quarter-lidded eyes that took in every single thing about me, the frustration at not being able to hear my thoughts; all of it was the same.

"One other thing," I said before switching to video mode to replaying one moment in the last days of his life.

I had already memorized everything about the thirty seconds that played, except I was there experiencing the entire sensory experience.

"_Marco!" my Edward yelled out with a scarf around his eyes and a sweet smile on his lips._

"_Polo!" I chirped as fast as I could and dashed to the side before he could grab me. _

"_Bella, it isn't fair if you move."_

_I giggled and said. "All's fair in love and…EEEEKKK! EDWARD! You cheated!"_

_He tore off the scarf and I move the datapad aside to film us both. _

"_All's fair in love and war," he finished for me and sealed it with a kiss._

Turning the datapad off I slipped it into my jacket pocket and held up my left hand displaying my wedding ring, his mother's ring that I knew he would recognize.

Edward's eyes burned wide as he grabbed my hand and examined the evidence. "Who are you? Where did you get this?"

Closing my hand into a fist I pulled it away. "I'm Bella Cullen, widow to Edward Cullen. I'd like a chance to explain things to your… coven? Family?"

"Coven," Jasper said with curiosity. "I offer you temporary shelter within my home, Mrs. Cullen, provided you do not harm any within."

I retuned his very formal offer. "I accept, Mr. Whitlock, provided none harm me while I am here."

Keeping my existence as a vampire a secret wasn't the only law of our kind, just the most important one. The pact that I just verbally agreed to was nearly as serious if broken. If I decided to harm any of Jasper's coven then my freedom was forfeit to him. Vice versa as well; if anyone in the house harmed me then they were mine to do with whatever I wanted.

He led the way inside with the boys trailing behind me, probably to make sure I didn't jump him. Please. While Jasper is very good looking, especially wearing those tight jeans and cashmere v-neck with the sleeves pulled up over his muscled forearms, he just wasn't my type. I could definitely see what Isabella was all breathless about. He just didn't do a thing for me. I like my men, trim, firm, without all the bulging muscle, and with delicate facial features – metrosexual if you will. Edward was a perfect example. At least my Edward was. This one exuded a little too much masculinity for my tastes as well.

The girls were nowhere to be seen, which I thought was a little sexist, but Jasper was the leader and he came from a time where the little women stayed home and darned their manly men's socks.

The interior wasn't exactly as I remembered. In fact, it was a little more modern, but just as well decorated.

"Where is everyone else?"

Jasper motioned toward a single armchair in the corner. "Please have a seat, Mrs. Cullen. You'll be speaking to the three of us until we've ascertained your trustworthiness."

I stopped and looked at the men. "Oh. In that case…"

Closing my eyes I pushed my shield out. It was the one that I could consciously control to protect those close to me. That followed quickly by my inner shield, the one that stay wrapped tightly around my body that protected me alone. Edward was the only one that I allowed inside and I felt it a gesture of goodwill if it stayed that way.

Enveloping only his mind I allowed him in my mind, showing him glimpses of the beginning of our relationship.

"I can read her," I heard him gasp.

"Shh," I replied. "It's difficult to concentrate with distractions. Just read and tell them after."

High school whipped by. James, Victoria, Laurent, playing baseball, prom, him sucking the venom out of my hand, Jasper's reaction to smelling my blood, my saving him in Volterra, the wolves, cutting myself to distract Victoria, our wedding, Isle Esme, waking as a vampire, years later, the happiest moments of our lives. Then I showed him Kurtz's face and his sacrifice, my reaction, my anger, my loss, my unquenchable desire for revenge, the deaths of each of our family members barring Emmett's, but he saw the mushroom cloud and knew what it meant.

Alice, Jasper, and me running, staying just one step ahead of Kurtz for a decade and then turning the tables, killing them all, my screams as I watched each and every one of those fuckers burn from the inside out, Jasper's sacrifice to save Alice only to have her snap and be killed seconds later. Lastly, I showed him Kurtz hitting me and me flying over the rooftop to the fiery pit below, but spinning around and emptying my pistols into his chest as I fell.

My eyes snapped open and I staggered back, dropping onto the chair as Edward was looking at me with heart-wrenching pity. My eyes were pooled with venom as I locked them on him.

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

Breaking away from his gaze, I closed my eyes and tried to find my center while he stood there witness to my life and the death of my family.

"Edward," Jasper interrupted. "What did you see?"

He cleared his throat. "She's not from here, not from this world."

Emmett seemed a little taken aback. "What?"

"It's her gift. It brought her here from her world, an alternate universe, or something like that. It's difficult to understand. Before… the backyard, the guns and the explosion; it was a mistake. She thought she was still on her world and we were all dead. She was protecting our land even when we weren't around to ever see it again. We can trust her, Jasper. She avenged the entire family against the vampire coven that killed us… them… it's very confusing."

That was an understatement. I was still having trouble dealing with this reality and I was the one that understood my gift better than any other, primarily because it was mine.

"Other people's gifts don't work on me unless I allow," I whispered as I rubbed my temples. "It wasn't always this way. It keeps evolving over time. It's Chaos; that's my gift. Anything imaginable can happen and apparently I've been reading way too many science fiction books recently."

Edward left the room and I could hear Jasper sitting down to my right, while Emmett dropped onto the overly cushy couch before kicking his boots up on the coffee table.

"You said your name is Bella," Jasper said. "Are you related to Isabella Swan."

With a smile I opened my eyes. "Swan is my maiden name. I've already spoken to her – before I came over here actually."

Jasper froze for a moment and glanced at Emmett. "You've spoken to her. She… knows?"

"That I'm a vampire from the future in another world? Yes. I told her some things."

He sighed and leaned forward to set his face in the palm of his hands. "She'll have to be turned or killed now."

I huffed. "She'll be turned when she wants, whether you want to date her or not."

Emmett hit the cushion next to him. "Ha! Time to cowboy up, Jasper. No excuses now!"

Jasper's mouth twisted up in frustration. "Do you realize what you've done? The treaty with the Quileutes will be broken. They will attack in force and I will have to kill them all."

"I'll deal with them," I replied. "After all, I'm a Cullen, not a Whitlock. I have no treaty with the Quileutes to break."

"And Isabella's newborn years? Will you deal with those as well, Mrs. Cullen?"

I almost didn't have the heart to tell him, but I did anyway. "Isabella won't have traditional newborn tendencies. I could be around humans within an hour of my turning. I was built… she _is_ built to be a vampire. It's a mindset, Mr. Whitlock. You have to _want_ to be a vampire. If you fight against it then you'll be fighting for the rest of eternity."

"You'll have to pardon me ma'am, but that's ridiculous."

With a shrug I replied, "Believe what you want. I have firsthand experience with this and Edward is more than welcome to read it from my mind when he returns. I had the preternatural abilities of a newborn, but that was it. Everything else – the control, the thirst – it was if I had been a vampire for over a century, because I _wanted_ it. I wasn't scared of the burning. I wasn't scared of dying. I wasn't scared of losing my soul. I wanted this more than anything else in my life and because of that, I brought it into being. I made it mine. Isabella will do the same because she wants you."

He raised his eyes to me and leaned back on his chair.

"Admittedly, she doesn't know that at the moment, but give her a chance and I think you'll have found your mate in this world."

"Jasper has a mate?" Alice nearly yelled when she bounced into the room followed by the others.

Edward had Rosalie firmly in hand and Esme skirted the wall until she was able to reach Emmett.

Oh, that is so wrong. Esme and Emmett? He'd break the poor woman.

"They're really rare," Alice continued as she took a place to my left. "We thought we were lucky enough for two of us, find theirs. Edward and Rose have been inseparable since they met. Love at first sight."

My eyes fell on Emmett and Esme. "So you two aren't…?"

Emmett shook his head and then winked at me. "Just keeping ourselves happy until mister and missus right come along."

Then I made a gesture to Alice and Jasper. Alice nearly had a conniption. "No way. I'm more of a soft touch kind of girl if you get my meaning, and Jasper likes the old fashioned girls with spunk, hence… Oh! It's Isabella, isn't it! Speaking of which are you two related, because you really could be sisters."

"Alice," Jasper warned.

She frowned in response and pulled back with a sulking look.

"Mrs. Cullen, what makes you think Isabella would be my mate. From what I know it's impossible to tell between a human and a vampire."

I shrugged. "Just a feeling. I'm rarely wrong about these things, but it has been known to happen."

"That's beautiful embroidery," Alice pointed out the front of my combat outfit. "Is it hand stitched?"

Looking down I stared at what she pointed out. My Alice wanted to include a corset in the final model, but again I refused. Instead she just made the design to mimic one.

"My Alice made this."

Her eyes went wide. "Your… oh, you mean your _version_ of Alice. For a moment there I thought you meant she was yours yours."

What? Oh. "No, um my Alice and Jasper were mates, Carlisle and Esme were mates, Emmett and Rose were mates, and Edward and… anyway. The outfit – she made it for us when we were on the run. It hides our scent enough to where tracking someone wearing it is next to impossible."

She became very interested in that little tidbit and reached out her hand. "May I?"

"Mrs. Cullen," Edward said as he stepped forward. "The others are interested in the pictures you showed us. Would you mind…?"

Before he could even finish I pulled out my datapad and brought up the photos. "Please be careful with it. This tech hasn't been invented here yet and it would be impossible to replace. I could build another, but it would take time I don't have."

He bowed his head in acknowledgment. "Of course."

Alice was torn between inspecting the material of my outfit and wanting to look at the pictures. Predictably, the clothes won out in the end.

"You're on a limited amount of time?" Jasper asked.

With a nod I replied, "There are some nomads headed this way that start off a string of events that endanger Isabella and this fam… coven. At least they did in my world. I'll need to go out and track them to make sure they don't cause any problems here, and… you know what? The less you know the better. If the Volturi become involved you won't have to lie."

He became very still, like the vampire he was. "Volturi? Why would they come here?"

"The nomads. They're not exactly careful about who they eat and they leave large messes wherever they go. In fact, there might even be some unsolved animal attacks just recently?"

He glanced over to Emmett who replied. "St. Helens. Four hunters ripped up. I knew something was off about that."

I nodded. "They're headed here. Were you planning any event… baseball maybe?"

"Next Sunday," Alice offered warily as she examined my sleeve. "I haven't told anyone about the thunderstorm yet."

"That's when they'll strike. Whatever you do, don't bring Isabella until I've had a chance to intercept them." Standing up abruptly, I moved to Edward to get my datapad back. "I need to get going if I'm going to track them before they get in the area."

"You can't go alone," Alice nearly pleaded and then looked to Jasper.

His lips firmed and he stood. "Mrs. Cullen is right; we can't know about this. If the Volturi found out we sanctioned this much less participated…"

Alice made an inarticulate sound with her throat. "But…."

"My decision is final."

That sounded well-rehearsed, as if Jasper was used to putting his foot down on any objections his coven made.

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled.

"I'll be fine," I said. "I've hunted much more dangerous enemies who knew I was coming well beforehand."

Jasper looked down at my pistols. "May I assume that's what those are for?"

With a grim smile I replied, "Your counterpart invented the ammunition. Magnesium, yellow-phosphorus, and armor piercing supersonic rounds delivered by over three thousand foot pounds of force."

Esme was brave enough to ask the question. "What does all that mean?"

Jasper looked admiringly at my pistols. "It means that they won't hear the shot fired until it's already hit them, the bullet will pierce even vampire flesh and then explode as an incendiary round that can't be put out even by jumping into a pool of water. The venom would be the accelerant and they'd be dead within seconds. Impressive."

I measured his curiosity for a moment before pulling one of my filled magazines and jacking out one round. "I'll show you how to make them if you can round up the supplies for more."

That seemed to garner his interest more than anything. "Emmett, you'll accompany Mrs. Cullen on her hunting trip. Will that be sufficient repayment?"

Tossing the round to him I smiled. "No offense, Emmett, but you're too noisy."

Alice nearly bounced as she raised her hand. I noticed nobody else volunteered.

"I'll go! I need to change first though. I think I might have something that'll do." She looked at Jasper with her puppy-dog eyes. "Please Jasper. I can use my visions to guide her."

He glanced over to me. I knew exactly how deadly Alice could be when she put her mind to it. I couldn't ask for a better partner. With a nod from me he nodded to her. Alice squealed and then in a blur of movement disappeared upstairs.

"This is a fifty caliber round; what kind of weapon is that?" he asked.

I pulled one of them out dropped the magazine, jacked the round out of the chamber, and handed it over. "It hasn't been made yet. The only thing that will work decently with that ammo is a Smith and Wesson Model 500. It only holds five shots, but it's better than carrying around an elephant gun. This one was made by the same manufacturer, specifically for the Cullens. It holds eight in the mag and one in the pipe. They thought you… or my Jasper was crazy when he sent them the specs and the money to make it. He sold them the patent once the prototype was produced all for the cost of six units."

"Very impressive," he mumbled as he inspected the weapon.

"Rose!" Alice called from upstairs.

"I better go see what she wants," she told Edward before kissing him lightly on the side of his mouth and then giving me narrow eyes, obviously warning me away from her territory.

Taking my datapad from Esme, I pulled the spec up for the ammo and then searched the house for any wireless computers. That took all of about a second. Once I determined which one was Jasper's I downloaded the information.

"There; it's in your computer. There's an icon for it on your desktop."

He glanced up at me with a concerned look on his face. "How did you do that? My software is the best on the market. The password is 128 bit encrypted."

Stashing the datapad away I just smiled. "Like I said; it's one of a kind. I'll wait for Alice on the porch."

The truth was I felt a little claustrophobic being inside for any extended period of time. Being indoors meant that I couldn't hear anyone approaching before they had a chance to ambush me. Being indoors meant that I wasn't safe, not unless there was three feet of solid steel and concrete in a bunker a hundred feet below the surface. It was a good thing I couldn't sleep, because I'd never be able to in the first place.

Being hunted for so long had an effect on me. Seeing the Cullens… the Whitlocks alive and well, not to mention happy, had an effect on me. Being so close to Edward and not being allowed to touch him had an effect on me.

The mission oriented façade I put on for their sake was just that, a mask to hide the utter panic I was suppressing. I hadn't killed anyone in over two hours; I was starting to get itchy. That was an exaggeration, but not too far from the truth. All this normalcy was making me paranoid. All these people were simply walking targets. It was embarrassing how quickly I was able to take down a coven leader and their strongest member. If they weren't familiar and that house wasn't there then they'd all be dead.

I loaded the pistol Jasper had been looking at and holstered it soon thereafter, right before I sat down on the front steps and focused my hearing out onto the forest. Peace, or what posed as peace, washed over me as I settled back into my sentinel state of being. Plans of action started in my mind in the form of lists of vampires that had to be killed in order for me to feel safe once more.

Victoria, James, Laurent, Kurtz and the entire Prague coven down to the last member, the Romanians, and finally the Volturi. Only after they were all dead and the rest of the vampires worldwide knew that I was the one to put an end to them would I feel a measure of real peace. Possibly not even then. The Egyptian coven, the Amazons, and the Mexicans – I'd have to keep an eye on them. It might be simpler just to kill them all and start over at the beginning, but they hadn't done anything to me personally. I'd be just as bad as Kurtz if I started on a spree like he did no matter how justifiable the reasons.

I wasn't sociopathic. I well knew the difference between right and wrong. I just wanted to protect what was mine, but the problem was I didn't have anything anymore; no family, no home, no money, just whatever I brought with me.

Speaking of which.

Taking out the datapad, I started a few mining applications that should take care of a few issues for me and inconvenience my enemies at the same time. I had to write some of the software right there, but that wasn't really an issue. There are some serious advantages to having perfect memory and vampire speed. After all, a bored vampire is a dangerous vampire.

It only took me all of three months to go stir crazy after our last confrontation with the Volturi. Sex with Edward was… nice, but it really wasn't time consuming if you take my meaning. Once I realized the extent of his… perseverance, I started finding other things to focus my mind on.

"I'm sorry for taking so long," Alice said as she closed the front door of the house.

I looked over my shoulder and saw her standing there wearing a black lightweight modified surfing outfit, sturdy knee boots, and a dark P-coat. It actually looked like the real thing instead of the pea coat knockoffs.

"It's the quickest thing I could come up with to mask my scent. Does it work?"

With a sniff of the air I quirked my lips to the side. "It would have worked if you didn't use the hairspray and gel."

She frowned as I looked her over. Rose had obviously done her makeup. It was seriously dark and smoky around the eyes, and I had to admit I really liked her hair close to her scalp like that.

"Don't worry. Most of it should wash out in the rain."

Alice blinked. "Rain? We're not driving?"

Standing up, I slid the datapad back into its pocket and closed in on her. Alice's boots had thick two inch heels on them that boosted her up to just over five feet. Mine were the standard one inch, so I still looked down at her. Closing my eyes I extended my mental shields over her and then took hold of her right hand.

"See the future, Alice. This isn't a joyride; it's a hunt and I'm not going to just warn them away."

When I opened my eyes again I could see her deep in a trance. Her lips parted and I watched as her eyes darted from side to side. We stood there for a good three minutes. It was the longest I had ever seen her under – or rather the longest I had seen my Alice under.

She came out of it soon after and blinked her eyes as she looked up to me, scanning my face. The feeling of being observed like the latest pair of Ferragamo shoes left me thinking she'd been a little shocked. I don't know what she saw, but it couldn't have been pretty. I tend to leave scorched earth wherever I roam.

"If you want to change your mind, I'll understand. Not everyone is able to…"

Alice cut me off by taking my hand threading our fingers together and heading down the stairs. "We'll find them just south of Mount Olympus. They came across an empty hunting cabin that they decided to commandeer. Afterward there's a National Guard Armory in Montesano where you can get some more of those things you used earlier to make all the nasty smelling smoke and the fire that wouldn't go out."

She'd already tugged me into a run down to the end of the drive and across the highway.

"Did you really just empty all of the Volturi's bank accounts?"


	3. Taking Care of Business

**Note:** Disclaimer in the first chapter. Again, thank you for pumping up my obviously inflatable head with all the kind comments. It really gives me a little shot of adrenaline to my muse and makes my fingers work overtime, obviously, since this is the third chapter in as many days.

**Chapter 3**

We held hands until the terrain became a somewhat mountainous, then Alice turned into an extra from Cirque du Soleil, hopping, spinning, flipping, and leaping from one place to the next. While I always knew she possessed the grace of a prima ballerina, it was another thing to see her in this type of element.

My moves were limited, straight forward, enough to get the job done, and nothing more and yet I still couldn't gain any ground on her. If I pushed myself I'm sure I could have done better, but then again I doubted this was her all out best either.

The Jasper I had known for the previous seventy years would never have left her side on a mission such as this. His existence was protecting her, and in the end it cost him his life. He was a lot like my Edward in that way. My question was why protect us to the point of sacrificing themselves if continued existence without our mates was so agonizing?

The thought was anathema to the intended purpose.

We reached the southern side of Mount Olympus in under an hour. Midway up Alice stopped and looked down over the forest that went on for dozens of miles. A thin layer of cloud cover – fog if you will – set just over the canopy. It was very beautiful; reminding me of the times Edward took me to visit the highest regions of Earth. No mountain was too high and no ocean too low. Though there's not much to see so far under water without light. Even our preternatural senses had their limits at times.

"Do you see that broken patch of fog about fifteen miles out?" Alice asked as she pointed to the south-southeast.

"Yes."

"About two hundred yards or so to the left of that are hunting grounds. Private cabins are all over the place, every half-mile or so. I can't tell exactly which one it is, but they're in one of those."

I nodded and tried not to imagine what it would be like without her by my side on a hunt. My Alice always narrowed down the area for me and I took it from there.

"Good. You can head back now, or if you want to wait, that's fine. This shouldn't take long."

Before I had the chance to take a single step she grabbed my wrist. "Would you tell me why they have to die?"

Her tone wasn't accusatory, and when I turned to see her face, ready with my best scathing remark, she was just standing there with curiosity on her face. My Alice never liked killing, even when they deserved it. I think she simply hated the brutality of it all. I could understand that. There was a time when I couldn't bear to see people fighting, but all those times came to a screeching halt when everything I cared for was ripped from me.

"There are three of them. James is the tall blond one. He's a tracker – very focused and quite psychotic. Victoria is the redhead. She's normal enough and has a gift of evasion. Laurent is the last one. He's a follower and an idiot. He likes to stab people in the back."

Alice let go, but allowed her fingers to caress my wrist as she pulled away.

"They stop by Forks, supposedly on their way north, when they hear the baseball game. I was there as a human. James wanted a snack. After a long drawn out chase he threatened to kill my mother unless I gave myself to him, and I knew he was capable of doing it. I managed to get away from you – my Alice and Jasper. James tortured me and filmed the whole thing to anger Edward. It was all a game to him, you see. So you'll understand if I want to upset his fun this time around."

Her brows wrinkled slightly. "I guess."

Alice still hadn't gotten it, but then again she didn't have all the information either, so I couldn't fault her for that.

"His death starts a series of events. Victoria gets away, creates a newborn army to attack us, eventually she brings the Volturi into this. Innocent people die by the truckload in Seattle. So this is a humanitarian mission, Alice. Besides, Victoria's existence just pisses me off."

When she moved in and hugged me I stiffened. After Edward's death I hadn't let anyone touch me, not purposefully anyway. Esme, Alice, and Rose tried to comfort me, but I pulled away of it each time. The closest I allowed anyone in was to interact with them. Hugs were simply out of bounds.

"You think you're hiding your anger well, Bella," she whispered. "You're wrong."

I pulled away and turned before heading down the mountain leaving her behind. When I reached the tree line I looked back for a moment to see Alice standing there, despondent. It didn't matter. I had my connection. Jasper would provide the ammunition. I would provide their safety. Not a lot mattered past that point.

~O~

The closer I got to my target, the quieter I became. Unless a vampire was Emmett's size they were usually much more silent moving than the average cat, so once I found their scent, approaching so they wouldn't hear me wasn't much of an issue.

Within two hundred yards I could hear them, so I went ahead and withdrew my pistols. Within a hundred yards I could actually hear their conversation and the whimpers of someone they brought along as their newest snack. They were wasteful.

The average vampire could live off a single human for more than two weeks without having to feed again. They just did it for the sport, for their amusement. While I didn't go out of my way to hunt human drinking vampires I wasn't accepting of the way they chose to live their lives. There were other ways to feed, and I'm not talking about the vegetarian method.

Hospitals and blood banks throw away more blood than they used sometimes. That's how Alice, Jasper and I survived for quite a long time.

All that aside, I hated vampires that tortured their victims. I hated a lot of things.

Fifty yards and I was well within effective range for my pistols, so I found a tree, scrambled up, and just observed. An idiot went in with guns blazing and no plan. Mine was simple. Laurent was inconsequential. Victoria, with her ability, was the one that held the most danger. She'd have to be taken out first. James – well, I had something special in mind for him. Too bad I didn't have a video camera so we could relive old times. I could film him with my datapad, but that just wasn't the same.

First, I had to deal with my visitor.

Directly above me, I spotted Alice hanging from a limb by her legs, looking at me. Her concern with the three vampires inside the cabin wasn't even apparent, as if she'd already written them off as dead. She was more interested in me for some reason.

"Whatcha doin?" she said in almost inaudible levels, but with just as much energy as she always possessed.

"Waiting. And now I'm bored."

Her hand dropped down in front of my face and opened, revealing a smooth-faced fingernail sized pebble. "May I do the honors?"

I shrugged. "Front door."

She smiled as her upper body twisted around, while still hanging upside down. Her pink tongue stuck out from the side of her mouth as she took careful aim and flicked the pebble a moment after.

Raising both my pistols I took aim at the door and waited as the pebble ricocheted loudly off the wood. There was a pause in their conversation inside and I heard Laurent say, "What was that?"

Someone moved to the door, but someone else – a redheaded someone else – took post at the side window, peering out into the morning night. I really couldn't pass up the opportunity. My left hand shifted slightly to the right and a hole appeared in her forehead a second later.

"That was loud," Alice whispered and dug her finger in her ear, waggling it a little.

"Silencers are useless with this."

"Victoria!" James screamed almost to my satisfaction.

"She's on fire!" Laurent yelled back.

"Get some water!"

"Where am I going to get water, James? Have you gone mad?"

While they were otherwise distracted I hopped down to the forest floor and started making my way to the cabin.

"Kill the human and use her blood!"

The sound of flesh rending and bone snapping echoed in my ears. Alice was behind me at least by ten feet as I increased my pace. Laurent's face appeared through the window as he moved from one side of the cabin to the other, but not before I was able to get off another shot. That one apparently hit just right, because the window was instantly painted with stuff I'd rather not talk about. My pistols went into their respective holsters directly after.

"Jaaaaaames!" I yelled. "It's time to come out and plaaaaay."

The front door exploded off its frame and he came barreling out, running deep into the forest, not even bothering to look around at his surroundings.

"Oh, goodie; he wants me to chase him."

"Bella?"

I spared Alice a glance. "Make sure they burn. This won't take long. Jaaaames! Come out come out wherever you are!"

Taking to the trees I made haste toward his last known direction and easily spotted the carnage he left in his wake. For a tracker, he was horrible prey. Down I dropped and then poured on the speed, coming at him from an angle to reduce the amount of time it took me to cut him off.

His eyes took me in as I came to a sudden stop twenty feet in front of him. They were already wild and I could almost smell the fear radiating off him.

"Who are you? I haven't done anything to you! We haven't broken any laws!" His head bobbed back and forth, taking in everything around, looking for an escape route or more vampires most probably.

Holding up a single finger I waved it. "You broke Bella's law. I'm afraid that comes with a mandatory death sentence."

"Bella? Who the hell is Bella?" he yelled back at me before taking a defensive stance.

It amazed me how many vampires don't really know how to fight. They have come to rely too much on their strength, speed, and virtually invulnerability against humans to get them through the years, especially the old ones. Jasper was the one to show me how to take advantage of that.

Forget the teeth; all they could really do was scar. The real power came in agility, avoiding their awkward blows, their overreaching grasps, and their manic need to grab things like a five year old tearing the wings off a butterfly. That's as far as instinct will take them.

"That would be me. This is my land. You invaded and tortured people. That's a nono on my land. Now you have to pay the toll."

His lips firmed and there was some really stupid portion of his brain – which probably consisted of ninety percent of its capacity – that thought I was small and weak compared to his tall and manly physique. He didn't wait in his defensive stance anymore and decided to rush me.

At the last second I spun around grabbed his outstretched, overreaching hand, spun again and slammed my fist into the back of his elbow tearing off the lower half. James screamed and slammed into one of the thicker trees making it shiver with the impact. I wound up tossing the disembodied arm aside.

He scrambled up grasping at his stump and screamed again. "You bitch! I'm gonna kill you for that."

I nodded calmly. "You _and_ your one arm? This ought to be good."

James started forward, but I held a hand up. "Wait, just a second. I'll let you have one free hit, but if you can't kill me I'm going to dismember you and bury you twenty feet into the ground up on Mount Olympus, just you and your torso for eternity."

He stuttered to a stop and looked at me with the slightest hint of fear on his face while I continued. 

"However, if you give yourself up willingly, I'll just rip your head off and burn you with Victoria. So, which is it going to be? A quick and painful death or an eternity staring at nothing but dirt, with nobody to talk to while you waste away from lack of blood?"

James clenched his fist and took another step forward.

"Remember, you only get one free shot," I reiterated. "Make it count."

Instead of taking either choice, James turned and ran.

"That wasn't one of the choices!" I shouted as I pulled a pistol and shot him in the back of the thigh.

He stumbled, grabbing at what remained of his leg after being shot with a fifty caliber round. I hate to use an idiom to describe such dulcet sounds, but his screams really were music to my ears.

I watched as he hit the ground and started pounding at the flame to stop the burning. I was pleasantly surprised when he even ripped off his own leg to stop the spreading fire. But it was already too late. The burning venom was already traveling through his veins, lighting him up from the inside out as I approached. The most he wound up doing was spreading the flame from his leg to his remaining hand

"Goodbye, James. I can't say it's been a pleasure, but it has been entertaining."

The arm I left behind flew from behind me and landed in the mess my prey was creating, adding more fuel to the rapidly burning fire.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Alice asked as she approached.

"Nah. Kurtz will take a lot longer when I find him. That's about it."

I could nuke Volterra from anywhere on the planet and be perfectly satisfied with their end. Kurtz, in any shape or form, in any dimension, and at any time – he gets special attention from me.

"Who is Kurtz?"

Once the screaming stopped I really didn't have any more interest in sticking around. "Prague coven; seven strong, for now."

"There's a coven in Prague?"

I nodded as we walked back to the cabin to see a raging fire consuming the area. The rain was keeping it from spreading.

"They've been keeping off the radar, feeding only off of bagged blood they acquire from a donation van specifically for that purpose alone. He's building an army, one vampire at a time while staying out of the Volturi's way. Eventually, he gets strong enough to challenge the Volturi and wins, but not without taking heavy losses."

Alice scowled. "That doesn't sound good."

"He goes back into hiding while the Romanians take over. Vlad and Stefan create a newborn army of fifty and storm the Volturi remains. Volterra and most of the surrounding countryside dies. Thousands of dead bodies are blamed on some mythic plague and disposed of by the Vatican and Italian authorities.

"Three years later Kurtz had rebuilt his coven and took out the Romanians. Everyone thought he was a godsend, because he never went beyond Prague unless it was to wipe out the despots. They were stupid. We were stupid."

"Nobody broke the law with nobody around to enforce it?" Alice asked, genuinely curious.

I shook my head. "Organized covens policed their own areas. They were totally inept. The old ones knew if the secret was exposed then their comfortable lives would be thrown into chaos, so they punished as they saw fit. We did the same."

The distant thumping sounds of a helicopter made itself known. The forestry service always kept an eye out for errant fires.

"We need to leave."

Alice grabbed my hand and we ran again until we were well away from my impromptu bonfire. At least ten miles later we found a tall enough tree to climb and watch.

"So I take it Kurtz didn't stay in Prague."

Alice sat after I did, so I didn't have the option of moving away from her when she all but snuggled in beside me.

"The Egyptians were next, almost six months later, and then he came for us. Kurtz systematically took out what he thought were the strongest covens on Earth. He did his research. Every one of the Volturi knew about Carlisle's strength. We had the most gifted vampires outside of them on the planet. If there was going to be a challenge to his eventual rule then it would be from us, and Carlisle welcomed him with open arms."

The rain had all but doused the fire and there wasn't much to see other than the helicopter making a flyby every few minutes.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Alice squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Come home with me. We can clean up and…"

"I can go to high school again?" I offered in place of whatever she was going to say. "No thanks. I'd drain Mike and Lauren the second I saw them."

She frowned and looked at me inquisitively. "I thought you had control?"

"I do. They're annoying and I don't suffer annoying people like I used to. Plus, there's the whole looking like Isabella's long lost sister thing. I have research to do, and coyotes to cower, not to mention grenades to steal. Where's this military base?"

"Bella," she said as I pulled away and dropped to the ground. "You don't have to do all of this by yourself. We can help. If Kurtz is the same in this world as he is in yours then we can just alert the Volturi."

With a nod I agreed. "True. They could take care of it. We can even do it anonymously so I wouldn't have to implicate myself."

Alice smiled for a second and then it dropped away. "But you're not going to do that, are you?"

"No. Kurtz is mine. You can have the Volturi. I hear that they're broke these days. Not that it'll stop them. Aro can just send out one of his flunkies to eat a billionaire or something."

She didn't waste any time in figuring out my plan. "You're going after the Volturi too?"

"Nuke'em from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

I received a mild glare for that one. "That's not a good plan, and it's a bad quote. If I recall correctly everyone died and one Alien still got away to kill the heroine in the third movie. "

"It's a good plan. Emmett nuked over half of Kurtz's coven in Nevada. Killed them in the blink of an eye and with my datapad I can even blame it on Iran and solve a lot of problems for the humans as well."

Alice huffed. "We're not nuking anyone."

~O~

When we returned to Forks with my crate of grenades, I split off to head to Isabella's house to retrieve my bag. The sun was already up and from the look on her face when I popped the lock on the window, she hadn't gotten much sleep.

"You broke my lock!" she complained as I hopped through.

"Seriously? You thought a window lock was going to stop a vampire?"

Her eyes narrowed at me. "It's daylight. Aren't you supposed to be in your coffin?"

Even after all this time I could still make myself laugh, even when I was two people. "Myth; so is ninety-five percent of what Hollywood thinks up."

Isabella dropped down on her bed and watched me go through the bag and pull out the clothes I pilfered from Mike's family.

"Is Charlie gone?" I asked.

"He went fishing with Harry Clearwater."

"Cool. I'm taking a shower. I've got evil vampire goo on me."

"Evil vampire goo? Is that a technical term?"

Pausing halfway to the door, I turned to her. "Okay, I was toning it down, because you haven't been exposed to all the ickiness of our lifestyle just yet. The truth of the matter is I just went out with Alice. There were three nomadic vampires – you know what nomadic means, right?"

She just raised that eyebrow at me again.

"Anyway, their idea of a good time is going around and torturing humans, drinking them dry, and then ripping up their bodies. They were on their way here to eat," I pointed at her, "you. So, I shot two of them in the head with these babies," I said while patting my pistols, "and I ripped an arm off another one, getting what passes for blood on my sleeve, before I shot him in the leg and let him burn to death from the inside-out. Now, in the future would you like the true story or would you like me to tone it down to _evil vampire goo_?"

Isabella's already pale face progressively turned a little green by the end of my tale. "Goo is fine."

Before I made it to the door she stopped me again. "How do you know they were coming here to eat me?"

Pointing to myself I replied, "Vampire from the future, remember?"

"Oh… um, thanks?"

With a bright smile I said, "You're welcome. Now, I'd really like to take a shower. I'll answer the rest of your questions after, okay?"

She just nodded and I disappeared into the bathroom.

I'd been wearing the same outfit for almost an entire week without washing it. Granted, it was especially made to repel dirt and grime, so it was still in decent condition. Vampires don't sweat or grow bacteria on our skin; we don't need to exfoliate either, so there's no need to act all grossed out. I still liked to shower, because my hair still gets dirty and I simply grew up showering every day. Jasper grew up in an age where they took monthly showers and covered up the stink with cologne. Gag.

I seriously don't see how my Alice put up with it.

Fifteen minutes later I was wearing a pair of black mountain guide pants, a blue long sleeve tee, and a black down vest. Once I tied off the running shoes I exited the bathroom to the nauseating smell of Isabella's cooking. Ugh.

Finding her comb I passed it through my hair and left it to air dry. Vampire hair doesn't stay wet for long. Perk!

The stink consisted of scrambled eggs and toast. When offered some I did my best not to dry heave, but a promise was a promise, but not before I washed my outfit. Once I stuffed it in the machine I took a seat and held my breath so I could minimize the gagging sensation I was experiencing.

"So… questions?"

Isabella nodded. "You said ninety-five percent of vampire stuff was myth."

"Blood, immortality, preternatural senses and physical qualities are the only things that are true. Everything else is B.S."

"So stakes, garlic…"

"The only thing that can harm a vampire is another vampire or incendiary explosives."

She looked down at my pistols that I was currently cleaning again. "What about those?"

Flicking my eyes up at her I smiled. "I can take down a rampaging elephant with one shot from this, and I use explosive bullets as well."

Isabella finished off the food and set her plate in the sink before asking the next one. "Is it for sure that I'm going to be like you?"

"Uh, no. I'm making it a point to kill all the people that gave us trouble over the years, so you won't turn out as angry, bloodthirsty, and borderline sociopathic as I am, but you will be a vampire. I've already told the Whitlocks about you and Jasper is primed for takedown. You just have to turn on the old Isabella charm and… what?"

Her mouth opened in horror at what I said. "You told him that I like him?"

"Trust me. It'll be easier than passing notes to Jessica Stanley. I remember how shy and reserved I was seventy years ago. Believe me when I say we need to get you in the saddle and take care of that pesky virginity problem you have. From what I recall of my Alice and Jasper, you should have a grand ol' time. Even soundproofing wasn't enough to keep her screams down… what?"

"Holy crow! How can you be so crass?"

I chuckled at how naïve I was… am… whatever. "So, you're not a virgin? Well, good for you. Just tell me it wasn't Mike Newton."

Isabella made a guttural sound with her throat, and I'm fairly sure I made her nauseous. "I'm still a virgin."

"Not for much longerrrr," I sang. "Now we have to get you in the mindset of becoming a vampire otherwise you're going to have a hard time of it."

"Mindset?"

"Right. You have to really want to be one, or else you'll crave human blood, and have a hair trigger when it comes to tearing people's throats out, etcetera, ad nauseam. I'll take you over to the… Whitlocks once my clothes are clean."

I still tripped over saying anything but Cullen when it came to them. 

"Oh my gosh! I can't go over there today!"

"Why not?"

"Well… I barely know them. I've never even spoken to anyone but Edward and that's because he's my Biology partner."

"Hmm," I pondered. "Well, that'll be taken care of pretty quick. You're going to be meeting your future family, Isabella. I would have thought that you'd be more accepting. I know I was. I couldn't wait to go over to their house. I couldn't wait to have Edward as my boyfriend, and I couldn't wait for him to throw me down on the floor and take me like they always do in the harlequin romances that I know you stash under the floorboard in your room."

Her cheeks pinked at the mention of hiding her trashy novels.

"I'm you, remember? We may be different in certain ways, but I bet you've been wondering exactly what Jasper looks like with his shirt off. Does he have chiseled abs? Is his skin that same pale color all over? What does his hair feel like when I'm holding his head down between my…"

"Okay! I admit it. Please don't say anything else." Both her hands were covering her glowing red face. "It's like having an annoying older sister."

Isabella was saved from another close hitting remark by the ringing of the phone hanging on the wall. Quickly she scrambled up and ran to the phone while I reassembled my pistol and started breaking down the other one.

"Alice Whitlock?"

I was trying not to eavesdrop, but seriously, it's nearly impossible at this close range. So in the spirit of staying true to my new little sister I won't reveal anything that Alice is currently saying.

"Um, yeah, she's here. Do you want to talk to her?"

…

"Well, I guess."

…

"But…"

…

"Okay. I'll see you then."

I waited until she made her way back around and dropped onto the chair with defeat on her face.

"Alice can see the future," I mentioned as a passing matter.

"What!"

"Certain vampires have gifts. That's Alice's. Never ever try to wrangle your way out of something if she's seen it. It's a lost cause." Seeing the look on her face I tried to calm her nerves. "Don't worry, about ten years after you're turned, your gift will cancel hers out where you're concerned."

That seemed to perk her up. "I have a gift?"

"I'm you remember?" It's amazing how like a sieve the human brain is. I think I've heard that somewhere before. "Right now the only one it works on is Edward. He can read everyone's mind except for ours."

She appeared a little nervous when she asked the next one. "Jasper?"

Oh. Yeah, I can see that might throw a wrench in the works. How exactly do I tell the girl that her potential sweetie can control her emotions? That's not something most girls could deal with.

"Don't worry. You can tell when he's using it… sort of."

"What is it?"

"This is one of those times where I think you might be better off not knowing, but I'll tell you if you want."

It didn't take an empath to be able to read the emotions on her face.

"It's not something awful like making squirrels heads explode, is it?"

Where does she come up with this stuff?

"No. Look, I can tell you that Jasper never wanted to approach you, because he values the sanctity of human life. It's why his coven only feeds from wild animals. He's very respectful. He grew up in the south, down in Texas during the civil war, so he's very proper, and fairly old fashioned."

The growing smile on her face told me that I was on the right track. We both liked old fashion gentlemen that treated us like ladies. Well, when I was human I liked that. What I never took into account was exactly how old fashioned some of them can be.

"Once you're turned, he won't have such a problem being around you and he can be himself. Just remember not to push him for hugs or knee-weakening kisses, because he doesn't have that amount of control. That's what I meant when I said you have to be in the right mindset when you turn. He didn't want to be a vampire and was turned during a very violent time."

"Oh." Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth and bit down as she thought things over. "How does the… turning…?" 

I nodded.

"How does the turning work?"

When I finished with the second pistol I stored it away and gave Isabella my full attention. "Our saliva isn't really saliva. When we bite a human, it gets injected into their body and starts the change. It varies, but it took me three days to change. You go into this… kind of lucid catatonia where you're just lying there changing and when you wake up, poof! You're changed."

She looked somewhat disappointed. "That's it?"

"No, the whole experience hurts like nothing you've ever felt before. We call it the burning, because that's what it feels like. I won't lie. It hurt, but it was worth it. Once that's over with then you won't be able to be hurt; fall down the stairs, get tossed out of an airplane at ten thousand feet, take a shotgun blast at close range. There's not much that can harm you."

Silence sat between us for a few moments until the washing machine came to a stop.

"Look, don't worry about it for now. Get to know Jasper. Take long walks, hold his hand, and let him romance you. Just try not to bleed around him or you'll become a nummy snack. You'll be turned when you're ready, not before. Remember, it took me almost two years with Edward before I was turned. I was thinking maybe after graduation?"

All the tension in Isabella's shoulder disappeared. "Oh, thank gosh. I was thinking you were going to do it tonight or something."

This time it was me that raised the eyebrow. "Sorry. Ever since my Edward was killed, I've been a little…."

"Overbearing?" she offered.

"No. I was going to say…"

"Pushy?"

"Okay, now you're just being rude. Go answer the door. Alice is here to pick us up."

"Domineering? Brash? Pompous?"

"I was not being pompous!"


	4. OWW!

**Note:** Disclaimer in first chapter. Guess some of you weren't fond of the last chapter all that much. Hopefully this one is more to your liking. Yes, this is a Bella/Alice fic. Romance is not the sole point of the fic. Bella, in canon, is heterosexual, and married, before Edward was killed in my fic. So there's got to be a realistic transition to Bella's sexual preference. There's already a bunch of fics out there where Bella is magically lesbian or bisexual from the beginning. This isn't one of those, but it also isn't very far off, as hopefully your see in this chapter. Your comments and/or reviews are always welcome. If you have specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 4**

Alice borrowed Edward's Volvo and insisted that I take the passenger seat instead of sitting in the back. Isabella predictably insisted on not rocking the boat and probably thought if I was sitting behind her that I was going to thump her ears or some other equally annoying sisterly thing.

The part that bothered me the most was that Alice also insisted on holding my hand or at the very least laying hers on top of mind. You have to understand that Alice is a very tactile person. She's constantly doling out hugs even to complete strangers, usually girls, when she first meets them. So it didn't exactly surprise me that she wanted to continue her new compulsion of holding my hand whenever we're together.

Have I mentioned that I don't like to be touched anymore?

"Are you two," Bella said cautiously. "Um…."

I turned around and glared at her, but Alice smiled. "Not yet, but a girl can hope."

There was some sort of meep sound from the back seat and then a very quiet whisper – for a human, that is. To a vampire, Isabella might as well have yelled, "Holy crow! I'm gay in the future! Edward must really be bad in bed. No wonder Rosalie is so angry all the time."

Alice's torso started quivering as she withheld her laughter. All I could do was sigh in annoyance and try once more to let go of Alice's hand, but she wound up squirming it around enough to latch on even tighter. It was like the world's worst form of static cling. Have you ever had a tiny piece of lint that hung on no matter how many times you brushed it off? You could even go buy one of those stupid brushes specifically to take it off, but it winds up clinging to your blouse only on some other section?

That's Alice; my own personal ball of clingy lint.

I even cleared my throat. That is an unmistakable sound of disapproval when coming from a vampire, because we have no phlegm to clear; we're totally phlegmless. Just imagine all the money we save on cough syrup. All she did was glance over to me and smile before returning her eyes to the road.

Hold on a second. Something just totally passed over my train of thought as I was distracted by uncomfortable clinginess. I couldn't believe I didn't see it before, because it was so obvious. Normally, I pride myself at being highly observant. Virtually nothing gets past my field of vision and my keen analytical skills. This is so embarrassing. Luckily, I caught it now before things became more serious and embarrassing in the future.

"Do we need to provide a chaperone for Isabella and Jasper? I mean with his control issues."

Alice shook her head. "They'll be fine. Just don't make any unexpected decisions, Isabella and I'll keep an eye on you."

"I'm sorry?" She seemed totally confused, but I'd heard the reasons before.

"That's how I see the future. People make decisions and I see the outcome. If they make a different decision then, of course, there is a different outcome. I see you hanging out at our house until four. Jasper will give you a tour of the house and you'll talk. Just stay away from the kitchen and you'll be fine."

Unsurprisingly, Isabella had to know something. "What happens in the kitchen?"

Alice shrugged. "Most of the time, nothing. We only drink blood, but we also store a set of knives there as a cover if any humans unexpectedly visit."

"I don't make it a habit of spontaneously cutting myself if knives are around."

"Yes, sweetie," Alice replied. "But why take the chance?"

Giving myself a metaphorical pat on the back for recognizing and making plans to counter an uncomfortable situation, I relaxed and covered Alice's hand with my free one. Sandwiching hers with mine I was finally able to let myself go for a few moments while I closed my eyes and enjoy a moment of silence.

With my actions over the previous evening, I guaranteed, at the very least, that the Whitlock family and Isabella would be free of any threatening danger for at least the following several decades. That would give me plenty of time to arm up properly, devise a very thoroughly thought out plan of attack to eliminate the threat of Kurtz, and the Volturi. The others could wait, but I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to destroy them if it presented itself.

However, I couldn't let myself grow complacent. There would come a time when I would have to act and I couldn't get so distracted that I forget something this important.

Alice could help keep me on track. With her gift I could plan out the perfect systematic moment by moment scenario. Perhaps I could even get some of the other Whitlocks to join in. This is their future as well after all. If I could just have Emmett and Jasper, this war could be all but over before the end of the decade.

We'd have to train. I didn't know if this Jasper had the skills that mine did. Emmett seemed to hold the role of security. I specifically remembered Jasper looking to him when I mentioned the animal attacks, and Emmett was already aware of them even if he hadn't done anything about it. He was sloppy, but then again he really hadn't had to worry about much for the duration of his existence; not like I had.

My first thought was to ask Jasper if I could take over the role, shunting Emmett to the side. Obviously, I was the better candidate for the position. There was only one downside to that idea. Jasper ran the Whitlocks like a true coven; his rule was law. The Cullens usually voted on almost everything, respecting the thoughts of everyone in the decision making, for the most part. Carlisle would make the final decision, but at least he listened to what everyone had to say.

Jasper seemed to be the exact opposite. He made decisions based on the safety of his coven. That seemed to be his top priority. Judging by the way he kept the girls in hiding, the decision to shy away from the Volturi when I mentioned them, and how quickly he changed his mind about his coven's involvement with me when I shared how my weapons were made.

That gave him an edge. He wouldn't have to be so wary anymore. I could just imagine what was going on in his mind. Develop the right kind of weapons and defenses and the Volturi, no matter how powerful or how many gifted vampires they had, would never be able to touch them. Make some structural adjustments to the house, mount some miniguns along the roof that spat out a hundred of rounds per second, and the Volturi would be cut to shreds in the fallout.

Contrary to popular belief, vampires aren't faster than a speeding bullet. On a flat level surface I can run just over a hundred miles per hour. On mountainous, tree-laden, muddy terrain, that number drops to around forty. It's still damn fast considering most vehicles, even motorcycles, reach about fifteen to twenty in the forest, and that's pushing it. You have to keep in mind fallen trees, sinkholes, random rock formations, shrubbery, stray bears, well you get the picture. Nature is nowhere as clean and neat as it is in the movies.

"Oh wow!"

I was broken from my musings by Isabella's initial opinion of the Whitlock house. Memories of my own drifted through the sludge of my human days and me saying something similar the first time I arrived at my future home.

Alice smiled as she pulled into the large garage and meticulously parked Edward's Volvo. She had to remove her hand from mine in order to take the car out of gear and shut it off, so I took advantage and darted from the vehicle while I could. I think I made it all of three steps before Alice circled around and latched onto my upper arm.

Isabella trailed behind while I felt decidedly uncomfortable escorting Alice into her own home.

"We're here!" she announced unnecessarily.

The others most likely heard us coming from the moment we left the main highway. It was probably for Isabella's benefit. As before, when I initially met the Cullens, the coven was gathered around the main room and Alice went through the formal introductions. One thing I noticed was Rosalie's presence and total lack of concern about the human in the room. Her attention was fully on Edward and Isabella's was totally on Jasper.

"Miss Swan," Jasper said as he bent over to kiss her hand. "It's a very great pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

Her face was flushed red and Jasper's eyes were a light gold. He'd fed to the point of overindulgence. Even then his eyes were dilated with a lustful reaction. He wanted her badly, and I wasn't so sure it had anything to do with her blood.

"Hi," she squeaked.

I rolled my eyes and spotted Emmett looking moderately bored. While it was nice strolling down memory lane I had things to accomplish.

"Mr. Whitlock," I interrupted.

His attention flicked over to me. "Mrs. Cullen. The supplies are on order. Alice said that your hunt last evening went well. I trust that our debt between each other is in balance?"

"About that…" When I started forward I had to tug Alice along with me.

Okay, I realize she's a little clingy, but this was getting silly.

"Yes?"

"There are other threats out there," I stated. "For the time being your coven is safe, but in the long term."

"Ah, yes, Prague. Alice mentioned that there was an elusive coven that might make trouble for us, especially considering the amount of talent I've accumulated."

Isabella mildly glared at me, probably because I stole Japers attention from her. "I'd like a chance to go over your security with... Emmett?"

He gave me a confirming nod. "Emmett handles most concerns that are outside the boundaries of our territory. However, you must understand that the internal security must remain within the coven. If you're interested in joining I can set aside another time to…"

"No, I don't want to join your coven. I don't do well taking orders from others anymore."

Jasper looked to Alice and then back to me. "I am sorry to hear that, Mrs. Cullen."

Alice's hand tightened on my arm and I could already sense tension coming from her.

"Jasper," she whispered sub-vocally.

"Alice," he replied and motioned with his head to the side.

"Jasper, may I talk to you in private?" Alice said stiffly.

"We have guests."

"Please?"

He licked his lips and turned to Isabella. "Miss Swan, I apologize, however there is a mild internal crisis that I must attend."

She was all wide-eyed and accepting. "It's okay."

"I shall not be long. Esme and Rosalie will escort you around on a tour of the lower house. I will return before they're finished."

~O~ 

When Jasper and Alice disappeared, followed by the girls, I was left alone with just Edward and Emmett. Why did I suddenly feel like I was forced into the role of _one of the boys_?

"Took out three badass nomads all by yourself," Emmett commented with equal amounts of envy and respect.

"Not really. They weren't expecting me and I shot two of them from fifty yards away."

Edward leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "I read Alice when she returned. I saw what you did to the tracker."

His tone was accusatory and I knew without any doubt he thought I was some kind of savage.

"You tore off his arm and then tormented him."

"Eddie," Emmett replied for me. "I think it's time for you to go put on your big girl panties. There was a threat and Bella disposed of it quick and efficiently. She's got bigger balls than you at the moment."

"How eloquent, Emmett. Trust in your ability to make light of a sentient being's death."

I blinked heavily and shook my head. "Anyway. I'm not asking for your security layout or anything, but I highly suggest you take advantage of the new munitions and fortify this house. I'm thinking a few M134 Miniguns, a few hundred M18A1's at various positions within a hundred yards and even some pointed this way a few hundred yards out as a cleanup for those trying to run for it once the rain starts coming down. We used them to great effect in Prague. Granted the kill range isn't as good against vampires – no more than thirty yards – but with…"

Edward took up position when he saw I was ignoring him. "Are you seriously suggesting using claymore mines around our home?"

I glanced at him. "Well not the stock stuff; that's pretty much useless. But fill it with the incendiary mixture I gave Jasper and they are deadly up to thirty yards."

"Bella," Emmett smiled and looked as if Christmas had arrived much earlier than expected. "Are you sure you don't want to join the coven? We could have _a lot_ of fun."

Shaking my head I said, "Jasper's a little too old fashion for me. I was brought into the vampire world by a family, not a coven. I'd be tossed out the first time I we disagreed on something like preemptively nuking the Volturi."

Emmett sucked in a breath.

Edward's jaw dropped open. "You're insane."

My arm was grabbed and Emmett and I were outside before I could blink.

"Are you really going to do it, because I've got a storage facility…"

"South of Vegas," I finished for him. "Yeah, I know all about it. My Emmett lured forty of Kurtz's coven in and detonated one. It was underground, but the EMP blew out Las Vegas for an entire month until everything was replaced."

His breath shuddered. "I bet that was sweet."

I shrugged. "They killed Rose – she was your mate there. You totally lost it and went on a suicide run."

"Ugh. Well I've got no mate here. Me and Esme are happy enough."

"Ow!" Isabella's voice carried loudly outside.

"Oh crap," I said and rushed inside.

Rosalie, Esme, and Edward were all standing around Isabella, who was lying on the floor of the kitchen, with a knife sticking out of her arm. Her bloodsmell hit me like a brick to the head, but I still had the presence of mind to see Edward tense and draw back to rush her. I dove across the kitchen counter and wrapped my arm around his neck while spinning around to kick Esme through the side window.

Edward and I hit the floor and slid into the wall creating a large hole in the sheetrock.

"Get the hell out of here Edward before you kill someone."

He snapped out of the trance he was in and scrambled to his feet before disappearing in a blur of movement.

"Rosie," Emmett said softly. "I know it smells real good, but you can't eat the nice human. Rosie dammit!"

I was to my feet next and heard a crash from the kitchen and another scream from Isabella. Blasting through the wall I took in the scene. Emmett was trying to drag Rosalie out of the kitchen by her leg while she had a hold of Isabella's leg with her teeth firmly embedded in her ankle.

"Shit."

I pulled my pistol and set it against her temple. "Let go now or die."

Isabella kept kicking at Rosalie's face, but it wasn't doing any good and Rose was too far gone in the bloodlust. She didn't hear a word I said. My bluff was called. I couldn't shoot the alternate version of my sister-in-law even if she was a bitch in both worlds. Instead, I holstered the pistol and hammered my fist onto the side of her head.

The sudden impact caused her to bite down on Isabella's ankle even harder and I heard a loud pop as her Achilles tendon gave and a bite-sized chunk of flesh was taken away with Rose as Emmett ripped her away.

"Oh crap."

Isabella screamed and grabbed the back of her leg. This wasn't good at all. There wasn't a Carlisle Cullen to doctor her wounds and make everything all better. Rose had been worrying that bite, so there was a large amount of venom that had no chance of being sucked out. It wasn't anything like the little quickie bite that James gave me in Phoenix. Isabella was becoming a vampire whether she wanted to be one or not.

"Oh gosh! It's burning!"

"Really, Isabella. You can't even curse with a snapped tendon, a chunk of your ankle gone, and your leg pumped full of venom?"

"Fuck you!" she yelled.

I smiled and lifted her up. "There's my girl. We'll make a bad-ass vampire out of you yet."

"Vampire?" she said though the pain.

"Yep, no coming back from that bite. I'll stop the blood and bite you a couple more times to speed things along, but you're changing here and now. So I highly suggest… would you stop screaming and listen!"

Her mouth snapped shut and she groaned instead.

"Embrace the change, Isabella. Welcome it, because there is nothing that can be done but accepting what's happening. If you fight it then you'll be just like those idiots, snapping at the slightest paper cut. You don't want to be like that, do you?"

"In here," Emmett said after he tossed a struggling Rosalie out the window.

I nodded. There was a basement set up just for times like these. Even if you were a vampire, the walls were thick enough to drown out the screams to where they could barely be heard upstairs.

"Oh god," Isabella said between whimpers. "Charlie."

"I'll tell him tonight when he gets home from fishing. Trust me, he'll still love you and accept you."

Emmett opened the door, flipped the light on inside and I spotted the cot that was already set up. 

"I need some pressure bandages, Em, or she'll bleed out."

"On it."

I had a grip on her ankle right above the wound, tight enough to bring the bleeding to a slow ooze and her screaming was starting to really get on my nerves. So I grabbed her wrist and bit into her pulse point, injecting more venom into her system when Emmett returned with the bandage. Her other wrist was next.

"I've got it," Emmett reassured me.

When I'd dumped enough in there I moved to her neck and sank my teeth in. Her body arched against mine as she gasped. Her warm blood tasted so good, but I resisted the call and only took was spilled into my mouth from the initial bite.

"That should be enough," Emmett mentioned as he pressed more bandages into my hands.

~O~

When I got upstairs, Alice was waiting for me with a grim look on her face. "I told her to stay away from the kitchen. You heard me."

She handed over my bag that contained my combat outfit inside. I was covered in Isabella's blood and desperately needed to take a shower.

"Convene your coven. We'll have a reckoning when I get out of the shower."

Alice just gave me a single nod. "Jasper's already got them outside in the back. We'll be there."

After ten minutes in Alice's shower and I was clean, zipping up my outfit, and strapping on my web belt. I hadn't bothered with any grenades, thinking that we were safe enough. I should have known better. Still, if I couldn't take out an inexperienced coven with what I had on me then I didn't need to go against Kurtz anytime soon.

Everything was up in the air. Isabella entered with me under the pact Jasper and I made only hours before. She was protected and was considered, in the vampire vernacular, to be my pet. His coven harmed her. By rights, I would have no problem claiming Rosalie as compensation. I could probably argue Esme, Edward, and Emmett as well, since I had to deal with two of those three and the last one didn't take his chance to take Rose out before she bit into Isabella.

The Volturi would probably award them to me, no questions asked. So basically, I had Jasper by the short and curlies.

I had no use for Rose; seriously, she got on my nerves. This Edward was not _my_ Edward. Esme and Emmett I could definitely use, but I wasn't the type of person to take advantage of vampire laws like this. They were antiquated, much like the coven laws. That didn't mean I couldn't use the situation to my advantage. I just had to figure out how.

Double checking my pistols I set them in their respective holsters and looked at myself in the mirror before heading downstairs. Isabella's muffled screams had me wincing. I definitely didn't remember yelling like that. She had a serious set of lungs on her.

Emmett met me half way outside. I assumed he was done tending to her and on his way out wearing only his jeans and a wifebeater. When he saw I was back in combat mode he gave me leave and went ahead, placing himself at my mercy by letting me at his back. Again this was all antiquated vampire garbage. Like I'd do anything. He was the only one who held it together enough to even try to help. He had my respect for that at least.

When I exited, I immediately took in Edward comforting his mate. Oddly, I felt nothing when I saw my husband's twin brushing another woman's hair and whispering in her ear. That was the last bit of evidence I needed to move on with my life. He wasn't mine in the least bit.

Rosalie was sobbing, probably imagining the worst case scenario from me, which probably consisted of her in a French maid's outfit rubbing my feet in front of a fire or maybe wearing one of those metal collars and scrubbing my floors. Emmett strode over to Esme and took her into a hug. Jasper was sitting at a cement picnic table staring at the center while his hands were on top with his fingers laced together. Alice smiled warmly at me an approached.

"Jasper and I have come to an impasse and I'm separating from the Whitlock coven. That's what we were discussing before Isabella got stabbed."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Okay."

Alice bounced a little on the balls of her feet as she poured on the puppy dog eyes and took my hand in hers. "I wanted to join yours if you'll have me."

"Um… I don't go by the coven system, but you're welcome in my family if you want."

She slowly blinked and cocked her head with an added smile. "Family?"

"Everyone gets their say. We make decisions as a family, but there are some things I can't bend on. You already know what they are."

"Kurtz and the Volturi."

I nodded in response. "Once they're out of the way then every major decision is put up to a vote."

Alice grinned. "Two family members?"

"Three. Isabella is in my family until she can make a rational decision on her own."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll never get any shopping done, will I?"

Ignoring that, I moved forward to the picnic table and Alice had a seat on the porch steps. When I sat down I flared my jacket out and set my hands next to the pistols, just in case.

"Mr. Whitlock."

"Mrs. Cullen," he said wearily. "What are your demands for reparations?"

Straight to business then. "I don't have any demands. I do have suggestions though."

His brows furrowed together. "Suggestions?"

"Contact the large hospitals and Red Cross facilities in the area. Make a deal with them through some fictitious research group to buy up all their out of date blood and feed that way. The animal thing is a nice experiment, but it doesn't work in the long run. You get edgier and the thirst is never satisfied. Mistakes like Rosalie's are less likely to happen on a diet of human blood."

Jasper gave me a nod. "I'll look into it."

"My second suggestion is that this is the twenty-first century. Lighten up. The days of girls not being able to think for themselves died in the last century."

He didn't say anything to that and I wasn't going to push it.

"Anything else, Mrs. Cullen?"

I grunted slightly at his dismissal. "Isabella is mine until she is clearheaded enough to make her own decisions. Since she's turning ahead of schedule… way ahead of schedule, I'm stuck in Forks while she acclimates."

That puzzled him and I saw a little ray of hope in his eyes. "You're not leaving for her newborn years?"

"No. Hopefully, I was able to get through to her enough for her to accept what is happening, so we'll see what kind of vampire she makes in the beginning. Alice and I are going house hunting, so I'll leave her in your hands. I would appreciate it if you could arrange to have some bagged blood brought in for her first feeding."

He didn't even wait for our conversation to conclude before calling out. "Rosalie."

Edward escorted his now timed vampire mate over.

"You'll go to Seattle and gather any and all expired bagged blood from their hospitals. Make whatever arrangements are needed with the hospital administrators. Pay it out of the house account. Change first and then leave. Edward, accompany her. Esme, we'll need commercial grade refrigeration units for the blood."

When Jasper turned back to me it looked as if he was back to his old self again. "I'll tend to Isabella's needs personally."

"Fair enough," I finished when I started to get up. "Oh, by the way, if the Quileutes ask, it was me that turned her. That should keep them off your back. I'll deal with them after I talk to her father tonight."

He blinked and rose right after me. "You're telling him the truth?"

"Of course; he's her father. Charlie can keep a secret. If the Volturi have a problem with it, I have a missile with their name written right on the tip in my datapad."

Looking over to Alice I saw her watching at me with half-lidded eyes and a serine smile on her face. What the hell was up with that? Maybe she was happy being out from under Jasper's nineteenth century thumb.

"Ready to go house hunting?"

She nodded eagerly. "That's the second thing I want to do."

I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I asked anyway. "What's the first?"

Alice grinned. "You'll see after we've found the house."


	5. Quileutes

**Note:** Disclaimer in first chapter. Going on a slower schedule. Tis the season for real life issues making my life busier than normal. For all of you that left a comment, PM'd me, and reviewed, thank you from the bottom of my heart. They mean a lot to me and are always welcome.

**Chapter 5**

"You don't have a car?" I said with moderate astonishment. Not that I really needed one or anything. I was just stunned that Alice didn't have something. Sometimes it feels as if she absolutely has one of everything on Earth.

She shrugged before latching onto my arm. "I still haven't found one I like, and I refuse to settle for second best."

"Okay, so we need a house _and_ a car."

"Can we get a cat too? Jasper never let me have a cat."

"A house, a car, and a cat."

"And some clothes," Alice concluded. "I never finished my new spring wardrobe, and you need _everything_. Not to mention new furniture, a highly reinforced bed, and maybe a swing for the back yard. This is going to be so much fun! Endless shopping! This could take weeks!"

One would think that a vampire was incapable of having a panic attack. So I did what any other self-respecting vampire would do and pawned her off on Esme, using the excuse of having to deal with the Quileutes and Charlie Swan to keep me busy for the rest of the day. Of course, that left me with having to deal with the Quileutes and Charlie Swan for the rest of the day.

Shopping or irrational Indians and gruff father. Hmm. Definitely the latter.

Thinking it was still too early for Sam to have changed I went ahead and gave Billy Black a call.

"Hi, Billy, it's Isabella." Well, it _was_ my name.

"Isabella, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Billy. I know my dad and Harry Clearwater are out fishing, but this is really important. I need to talk to you and Old Quil, together."

It sounded like he was shifting the phone around and I heard something click. "Quil's here with me right now, so is your dad and Harry; you're on speaker. What's going on?"

That was fortuitous. "This really needs to be done face to face, guys. May I have permission to come down to the res?"

Billy scoffed. "You don't need permission, but thanks for asking. You're always welcome here."

"Thanks, Billy. I'll be over in a few minutes. You might want to have Jake there as well. It concerns him too."

"Has he done something?" He sounded tired, like Jake had been more than a handful recently.

"No, nothing like that. It's good news of a sort. It's something that I'm trying to do to help you guys out."

"Isabella," Charlie said in the background. "What are you up to?"

"I'll explain when I get there. Give me five minutes."

Before he had the chance to argue with me I hung up and stashed the datapad away. I wasn't expecting Charlie to be there, but I suppose it'll save me some time later. There will probably be more yelling involved, but I've been yelled at before.

Checking the highway for any cars or a human presence I took off at vampire speed and raced past the treaty line where I was making the call to Billy. Two minutes later I came to a stop behind a beat up wreck that Jake used to salvage parts to build his Rabbit, if I recalled correctly. After straightening out my jacket I brushed my hair back and to the side before heading to the front porch and knocking on the railing instead of the front door.

While I had no reservations about tricking Billy into thinking I was my counterpart here so he'd let me on the res, I tried to respect the boundaries of his home.

Turning around, I looked out over the area, cementing things into my memory. Even with the lack of truce after the Volturi left Forks for the last time, in my world, we still respected the boundaries and only entered Quileute land with an invitation. Those were few and very far between, usually involving an emergency, so there wasn't much occasion to look around.

The front door opened and I heard Charlie exit. "Bells? Where's your truck?"

Casually, I turned back around and spotted Harry Clearwater behind him, looking at me from the side. Harry's eyes widened and he looked to Charlie before taking me in again.

"Would you mind if we did this out here?"

Charlie rushed down the steps and looked at me on the verge of panic. "What happened to your eyes – you're pale as a sheet!"

Holding a hand up to forestall him I replied, "I'm fine, Charlie. Harry, would you call Billy and Quil out? He probably doesn't want me in his home."

Charlie looked over his shoulder to his shaken friend before turning back. "Isabella, what's this about? And what happened to you?"

Quil made it out and jerked to a stop before muttering something unintelligible under his breath that even I couldn't hear. "Billy, Jake needs to stay inside."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, and if I was, do you actually think staying inside would help?"

Harry grabbed Charlie's arm and tugged him back. "Maybe we should sit down."

He received a scowl for the suggestion, but Charlie relented and found the closest chair while Jake rolled his dad out.

"Hey!" Jake said when he saw me. "Cool contacts."

I grinned slightly for his benefit. I'd forgotten how clueless all the Quileutes were except for the tribal council. When I noticed Harry looking short of breath I spoke up.

"Harry, sit down before you fall down, please. You really need to get a different heart doctor. If it's a matter of insurance, I can hook you up with a different carrier that'll give you the best benefits."

"Uh…"

"Seriously; I know people. It wouldn't cost me or you a dime and they're the best in Seattle."

While the part about it not costing me a dime wasn't exactly true, I was sure I could find him a better plan without even scratching the money I stole from the Volturi.

"That's okay. I like my doctor just fine," he commented while looking to the others.

"Isabella," Charlie said gruffly. "Can we get to the point about why you look like one of those Goth girls on TV… and what are you wearing?"

"That's a little tricky." Glancing to Old Quil I raised my eyebrows to him. "You want to tell him about the legends or do you want me to do it? Either way is fine with me."

"Whitlocks," Billy cursed.

"Had nothing to do with me being here today, like this," I assured him. "Anyway, I guess I'll tell the story."

After shoving my hands in my pockets I began the Cliff's Notes version of the Quileute legends.

"Billy, Quil, and Harry here are all related to the same guy way back in the old days Taha Aki. Billy has the most direct line that's why he's the Chief of the tribe even though they do things by council these days."

"Isabella," Charlie said, cutting me off.

"I'm going somewhere with this, Charlie. Just give me a couple minutes. That's why Jake here is in line for his dad's position. However, Jake is also in line for a different position which only the council knows about, unless you've told anyone else."

All three of them sat there with sour looks on their faces. They obviously weren't giving up any information, however, I had Jake's attention.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know those old legends that your dad here told around the campfire on First Beach? Cold Ones and the Protectors?"

His face went from interested to confused.

"They're true, and you're in line to be the head protector. That's why I'm here. It's going to happen it's just a matter of when, and you need to know about it before it happens. You, Sam Uley, Paul Lehote, Little Quil, Jared, Seth and Leah Clearwater, Embry, Colin, and Brady. You need to let them know that if they don't want to be protectors then they need to leave as soon as possible."

Billy wheeled himself forward to the edge of the porch. "You can't tell them to leave. It's an honor to be a protector."

I nodded. "I understand that. Harry, when Leah changes she'll hate every minute. She'll feel trapped here on the res. She's got plans for college. Sam, her boyfriend, will imprint on Emily Young causing a rift in your family. Leah will make your lives a living hell."

Charlie looked as if I was working on his last nerve. "Isabella, what the hell are you talking about!"

I eyed him for a moment and then looked at Jake. "Is that car over there scrap?"

"Uh… yeah."

"The rear fender looks rusted out. Can I use it for a demonstration?"

He looked to the others for a second. "I guess."

Getting Charlie's attention I said. "Watch very closely. Don't blink or you'll miss it. Ready?"

He raised his eyebrow at me. That's probably where I get the whole eyebrow thing to begin with. "Fine. I'm watching and not blinking."

As fast as I could – which is pretty darn fast if I say so myself – I ran over to the rusted out Rabbit, ripped off the fender and returned to the front porch in a little under two seconds. Charlie blinked and then his mouth dropped open. I handed over the fender to Jake.

"Bend that for me, will you? As small as you can make it."

Jake didn't move for a second and then reached out for the fender. It probably weighted ten or fifteen pounds at the most. After he looked at it for a moment, Jake wrapped it around his knee and almost folded it in half.

"That's it?" I asked.

He tried to fold it again, but it wasn't budging.

"Give it to Charlie. Let him try."

Charlie sighed and gave a token effort, but wasn't able to make any more progress, so I took it back, folded it effortlessly, folded it again, and then pushed all the sides in until it was just a ball of metal about the size of a small basketball.

"There, now, I believe I've made my point?"

The mood totally changed. Everyone was looking at me like I wasn't human, the way it should be. I set the ball of metal on the porch and took a step back.

"Now, for the truth portion of our story time. I'm not the Isabella Swan that you know and love."

"Damn right you're not," Billy said under his breath.

"No you don't understand. I'm a different Bella, from a different world. There's another Isabella Swan living here, over in Forks, your flesh and blood, Charlie."

Everyone started looking at me as if I wasn't human _and_ insane.

"It's a lot to take on my word alone. I get that. So unless you see the two of us together then you won't really believe me. Here's the thing, something that your legends don't tell you. Some Cold Ones have certain gifts."

"Gifts?" Quil repeated.

"Powers. For instance, the Whitlocks? Edward can read minds, Jasper can read emotions, and Alice can see the future."

Billy swallowed knowingly, as if he realized exactly what someone could do with all of those talents. "What do you do?"

I grinned. "I create chaos. That's how I got here. It doesn't matter how improbable an event is, if it's at all possible, I can make it happen, most times unknowingly."

I watched as Jake backed up a little and sat down on the floor of the porch with the house against his back.

"Last night, I nearly died fighting some evil… Cold Ones. Instead of dying, at the last second, my gift – for lack of a better word – activated and sent me here, to a different world, seventy-two years in my past."

Harry looked as if he believed me. Quil shifted uncomfortably, and Billy tried his level best to shoot me with laser eyes. Jake was staring off into space and Charlie, well I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was still staring at the metal ball.

Instead of trying to convince them any longer, I pulled out my datapad and flipped to the photos again, pulling up one of Jake. I put it into holoprojection mode and displayed it for everyone to see.

"Holy shit," Jake said, instantly recognizing the very large Quileute holding my Edward in a headlock giving him a noogie.

"This is Jake in 2038. I think you recognize Edward Whitlock."

Flipping to the next picture I said, "And this is a family picture. You'll see all the Whitlocks there along with Jake's pack. There's Seth, Embry, and Little Quil. Leah refused to pose. She hates pictures."

Harry was on his feet and reaching out to the holoprojection, letting his hand pass right through it.

"And this one is Seth and his wife Jessica with their twins Little Harry and Angela. That was a match made in hell. Jessica Stanley was his imprint. Poor kid. He didn't find her until 2027. She was off dating some guy she met in college that wound up joining a band and dying of a heroin overdose."

Flicking the datapad off, I slipped it back into my jacket. "So… as to why I'm here."

Billy looked white after seeing my proof, and considering his dark Quileute coloring that was saying something.

"In my timeline Sam was the first to phase and that caused all sorts of problems. Jake was the rightful heir and more levelheaded. In the end, the pack wound up splitting because Sam ordered him to kill the Whitlocks and he wouldn't do it."

"Why would Sam want to kill the Whitlocks," Charlie asked.

"For turning me. I was dying and there was no hope."

"You're already dead," Billy countered. "Your heart no longer beats."

I smirked at that. Count on Billy Black to break it down into terms like that.

"My circulatory system doesn't work like yours, Billy, so I should be murdered?"

"You kill people to survive. Don't think I don't know what those red eyes mean."

With a sigh I stepped forward so he could see my red eyes. "Back then your legends didn't take into account for hospitals that can store blood donations in these little pint sized bags for patients in need of a transfusion. Eventually, if they aren't used, they start to go bad. I buy them, so the hospital doesn't lose any money, and doesn't have to spend more money on the hazardous waste disposal, in turn lowering the price to patients who use the good stuff. None of my food dies; can you say the same Billy? Had any hamburgers recently?"

"Hold on," Charlie said, clearly disturbed. "You drink blood?"

"I'm a vampire, Charlie. Yes, I drink blood. I also kill evil vampires that kill humans in my territory. Last night I got three of them just south of Mount Olympus."

"I don't feel so good," Jake murmured.

I sniffed the air and didn't come up with any wolf scent, or coyote scent for that matter. Someone has a queasy stomach.

Billy seemed skeptical. "You—you killed three Cold Ones by yourself."

Undoing the only button on my jacket that was holding it closed, I open it up for them to see. "Well, I had help."

Charlie's eyes popped when he saw the size of my pistols. "Holy crap!"

"Holy crap," Jake mirrored as he leaned forward to stare, and it wasn't at my pistols; the perv.

"Guns?" Quil said. "You can't kill cold ones with guns."

This is my favorite part in proving they work. Having vampire strength makes handling and firing my pistols very simple. I took one out flipped it around for him to examine.

"It's loaded and ready to fire. All you have to do is pull the trigger. Try Jake's rust bucket over there."

He eagerly reached out for it, but I held it just out of his grasp. "Fair warning: if you point it at me, I'll kill you before you pull the trigger."

Quil visibly paused and I released the pistol into his grip whereupon he almost dropped it.

"It's heavy."

"Eight point five pounds fully loaded. The rest of you might want to cover your ears."

He pointed it and I saw Charlie finally figure out why I gave it to the elder. "Quil wait."

It was already too late. Quil held the pistol, with two hands, arms partially extended and pulled the trigger. The recoil bent his arms at the elbow and the barrel of the pistol smacked him dead center on the forehead, dropping him to the porch.

"You gotta watch the kick on my babies."

Jake fell backward, laughing before he noticed something wrong with his parts car. "Hey! It's on fire!"

"That'll be the accelerant in the bullets," I mentioned before taking my pistol back. "Okay there Quil?"

He grimaced at me while rubbing his head. "You knew that would happen."

I shrugged. "It's not my fault you don't know how to shoot a gun."

"Are you done? Will you leave now and never come back?" Billy nearly growled.

"Um, no on both counts." After buttoning my jacket I continued. "Jake needs to be exposed to me or other vampires in order for the shifter genes to activate. So, I'm offering to come by and hang out for fifteen minutes or so a day until he shows signs of changing. That way he'll be the Alpha and your line will continue with no issues, no fights, and no wars."

"And if I don't want you here?"

"Then I'll leave. Sam will most likely take the Alpha position and cause all sorts of problems for the res and for me. Just to let you know, while I'm still pretty much the same Bella Swan I was before I was turned, I don't suffer bullshit any longer. _When_ Sam challenges me, I'll put him down and he won't be getting up any time soon thereafter."

"Is that a threat?" Billy responded angrily.

"Yes. Threat, promise, whatever you want to call it. Don't think I can't do it either. I've put down actual werewolves that are about twice the size of your protectors and psychotically insane on top of all of that. I just want to live and let live, Billy. You leave me alone and I leave you alone. Sam tends to run around thinking he's the protector of the entire northwestern US."

"Hold on," Charlie interrupted. "You said you're from the future?"

I nodded. "And a different world, alternate universe, mirror dimension, whatever you want to call it."

He pondered that for a moment before popping another question. "And things here are happening the same way as you remember?"

"There are small differences, like the Whitlocks are called the Cullens in my world, but they're still the same people, grouped the same way. The same evil vampires that caused havoc in Forks, in my world, were already on their way here when I arrived. Those are the ones I killed last night. You heard about the campers that were attacked by animals down south of here? That was them. So yeah, things are almost mirrored here."

Charlie looked back at the others. "What's supposed to happen in the near future here – with us, I mean."

"Ah, well within the next year the shapeshifters will start popping up. I've saved you from investigating a lot of unexplained camper deaths over the next couple of months. There was a mass murder crime spree in Seattle that I've taken care of. Let's see…. Next March, Harry here has a massive heart attack and dies on the way to the hospital. Still want to ignore my insurance offer there, Harry?"

Not a single word was said at those revelations, but I knew that wasn't what Charlie wanted to know about. Once a decent amount of time passed after my prediction of Harry's demise, Charlie broke the silence.

"What about Isabella?"

"Oh, I've saved her a lot of trouble, Charlie. Constant death threats that you would have never known about until she was on the bed bleeding out. Again, it goes back to those three evil vampires that are already dead."

He nodded slowly, obviously waiting for the other shoe to drop. "So, she won't be like you."

This time it was me that paused. "About an hour ago, she was attacked. Unavoidable, but she was dying, and even if she lived she would have never walked properly again. I changed her."

He was off the porch and in my face two seconds later. "Where is she?"

Shaking my head I replied. "You can't see her for another three days, possibly longer. I don't' know yet."

"Bullshit," he snapped. "She's my daughter."

"And she's in the process of turning into a vampire. You can't be there for that. In three days' time she'll awaken and might or might not lust for human blood. We'll have to wait and see."

Billy wheeled himself around. "If what this monster says is true then she's already dead, Charlie."

I made an exasperated noise with my throat. "Would you please shut up about that undead crap. I think and process normal brainwave patterns, which means my brain works perfectly well; all of my internal organs are functioning perfectly; my circulatory and digestive systems are modified to process blood instead of traditional food. By every medical and legal definition I am alive."

"I want to see her," Charlie reiterated.

"No. I'm not bending on this. Once she wakes up, I'll train her on what she needs to know and hopefully she'll be back in school next Monday, after spring break."

"Where is she?"

"Safe, she's being guarded right now. Nobody can harm her anymore."

"The Whitlocks," Billy surmised. "They're the only other vampires in the area. They broke the treaty."

He was smarter than he looked. "No, they didn't. I'm the one that bit her and passed on the materials needed for the change. In fact, Emmett Whitlock was the one that pulled the animal off Isabella and saved her from being mauled any more than she already was."

Charlie was already on his way to the cruiser hell-bent on seeing his daughter.

"Billy, you're a real asshole," I said as plainly as I could. "He's going over there right now and he'll see nothing but his daughter in agony. How would you like it if I broke every one of Jake's bones right now and left him here on the porch for you to listen to?"

I watched as Charlie drove off and then turned back around. "Harry, call the Whitlocks if you want me to hook you up with the better insurance. Jake, obviously your brain child of a father here isn't going to allow me on the res anymore. If you want to be the Alpha of your pack then come by the Whitlocks and we'll set up a schedule for you. I gotta go."

~O~

Racing through the forest as the crow flies I was more than able to beat Charlie to the Whitlocks, and wound up sitting on the front steps minutes before he had the chance to arrive. Jasper let himself be known by opening the door.

"Problem?"

With a shrug of my head to the drive I said. "Charlie Swan will be here soon. He wants to see Isabella."

I could almost feel the tension rolling off him from being revealed to a second human in less than a day. "Are you planning on turning him as well?"

"No, well my Charlie didn't want to be a vampire. He liked his fish fry too much to give it up."

His legs came into view before he sat down beside me. "If the Volturi gets wind of this…"

"They won't – as long as you keep Edward away from them. He's the one that alerted them to my presence as a human in my world. His decision making process isn't the most thought out."

"I can't argue with you on that point." A few moments passed until I heard Charlie's car turn onto the drive off the highway. Jasper had enough time to ask me one more question. "Will there be any more humans alerted to our presence?"

"The Quileutes tribal council, but they already knew. Jacob Black will probably be by for me. They'll be turning into shapeshifters soon and it'll be best if he's the Alpha. I volunteered my services for a short duration. Harry Clearwater will probably be calling for me as well. I'd give him my number, but I'm not set up on any service yet."

He sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair. "They weren't the most civil people years ago."

I nodded. "Yeah. Billy Black is pretty much the same, but Harry is more levelheaded, and Quil is pretty much like me; leave him and the tribe alone and you won't have any issues."

Charlie's patrol car whipped around the bend with its lights flashing, before coming to a stop right in front of the steps. He scowled at me as he killed the lights and the engine.

"Get out of my way," he said as he stepped out and adjusted his utility belt.

"Charlie, you need to listen to me first. If you really want to see her then I won't stop you, but you need to be prepared for what it is you're going to see."

His eyes narrowed on me and then turned to Jasper. "Are you in on this whole vampire thing too?"

"I'm the one that turned her," I stated sharply. "Jasper was in the back yard at the time this went down. He has nothing to do with it."

I could almost see him counting down in his mind before he did something rash. "Make this quick. I want to see my daughter."

"Alright," I replied. "Our saliva contains the ingredient that changes humans into vampires. The reason the process takes so long is because it changes every single one of our cells into something different, more durable and strong. Think about what that means. It's a very painful process, but in the end when she wakes up, she'll be incredibly hard to hurt."

"Okay, so it hurts. Can you get out of the way now?"

I glanced at Jasper and then turned around before leading him inside. "Slowly, Charlie. Stay in back of me and do not, for any reason, touch her. There's a strong chance that she could be lucid enough to bite you if get too close."

"That's my daughter. She wouldn't hurt me."

Spinning around, I placed my hand on his chest. "At this moment Isabella is insane with the amount of pain coursing through her. She won't recognize you. All she'll recognize is the smell of your blood until she gets her mind back. Am I wrong, Jasper?"

Charlie half turned to receive the answer.

"I don't know. I've never seen a human around someone that's turning."

"Well, there's a first time for everything I guess," I replied before opening the door and hearing Isabella's throat worn screams.

Charlie's face went ashen white as he froze in place.

"Still want to go down there?"

"What are you doing?" came a voice from the bottom of the stairs.

Rosalie was standing there looking particularly torn and protective for some odd reason.

I started down and made a cutting gesture with my hand across my throat hoping the blonde wouldn't say anything more.

"Are her injuries mended?" I asked.

Rose met me half way and nodded. "I already cleaned her up and changed her into some sweats, so she'd be more comfortable."

A laugh tried working its way out of me, but I was able to suppress it for Charlie's sake. Nothing would make Isabella feel comfort in any way, shape, or form while she was going through the burning.

"Why are you down here?" I asked as quiet as I could and still be heard over the screams.

"It's my fault."

"Yes it is."

Since I've been turned, I've never been one to coddle a person. She was the one that initially bit Isabella, so I'm not going to try to make her feel better by blaming it on fate or whatever. She should own up to it, accept it, and try to work harder to prevent things like this from happening in the future. Instead of pulling up her big girl panties, she looked stricken at me and then pushed past me to the top of the stairs and ran.

Charlie barely noticed her passing as he robotically made his way down the steps. Once he was within seeing distance I held a hand out.

"That's close enough."

"Jesus," he said.

Isabella thrashed every few seconds, but mostly she was just curled up into a ball on the cot.

"There's nothing you can do for her, for the pain?"

I shook my head. "When I turned they pumped me full of morphine, it just made it worse. I was frozen in place, unable to scream. I would have given anything for the release. It's better this way. She's only got another few hours of this before she's past the worst of it. Come on."

Pushing him upstairs without making him rush and fall was harder than you would think. The screaming was getting on my nerves. While I didn't blame her for the obvious pain she was going through, I didn't have to stand around and torture myself as well. Vampire hearing was very sensitive. Humans don't realize this.

Listening to someone scream this loudly is akin to nails on a chalkboard, amplified to ear bleeding levels. Honestly, I don't understand how sadists like James can stand their victims' wail. They get off on it. If I fed off humans, I'd make it as quick as possible just to avoid the screeching.

When I shut the door behind me I breathed a welcome sigh of relief.

"I shouldn't have come," Charlie mumbled under his breath.

His eyes were already glassy and tears threatened to fall as I led him out to the living room so he could have a seat and stare at the wall. Jasper stood sentinel near the kitchen and I took note of the fresh wallboard where I tackled Edward through. There wasn't any sign of the struggle other than that. I could barely even smell Isabella's blood.

In another couple of days, once the wall was textured and painted, there wouldn't be any sign that a human was almost eaten not ten feet from where I was standing.

"Three days," Charlie said after coming out of his thoughts.

"Give or take," I responded. "It differs from person to person. Most people are turned because of imminent death, but they are also in a lot worse shape than Isabella. Her problem was blood loss and a mauled leg."

He was covering his mouth with a single hand. I was impressed at how well he was holding up, under the circumstances. "She'll be okay after… the leg I mean?"

"Rose said it was already healed. She'll walk, run, and leap just as well as I can. No scars either."

A nod was all I got in return.

"Charlie, forget what Billy Black said. He's a nice and sensible enough guy on pretty much every issue except where vampires are concerned. We're not all evil, just different. His ancestor's met one evil vampire and colored all the rest with the same marker. It would be like Jeffery Dahmer stepping off the Mayflower representing all of humanity right before he ate all of the Indians."

His eyes tracked to me. "So all vampires aren't killers?"

"Not all, no. Just like Isabella won't be one. She'll be the same girl that you know, for a while at least."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone changes, Charlie. Life changes us. Can you say that you're the same person now as you were in high school?"

He paused this time before answering. "No."

I motioned toward the hall to the basement. "I used to be her: shy, reserved, placating. I even stayed pretty much the same for another thirty years. I got married, had a family, traveled the world and saw sights that no human being has ever seen. Then my family was killed in front of my eyes. That's why I'm the way I am now. Hopefully, I can prevent that in this world so she'll stay somewhat innocent for a little longer."

Charlie's gaze measured me for a little longer. "What can I do to help?"

That mildly surprised me, but I suppose I should have expected his offer. "Nothing. The threat is from Europe. Once I have Isabella settled in and my home set up here, I'll be traveling and dealing death to those that threaten us. Then I'll return."

"School," Jasper whispered sub-vocally to me.

I glanced over my shoulder and then returned to Charlie again. "Spring break is this week. Isabella should awaken sometime Sunday. That'll give her a week to acclimate. If it takes longer I'll have to keep her home, but if she's like me she'll be able to make it back to school on schedule."

He nodded. "I'll tell her friends that she went to visit her mother."

"Oh, Renée. I forgot about her. I'll come over and email her a couple of times. That should keep her clueless for the time being."

"Do I need to do anything for her?"

"Just treat her normally. Don't act like she's infected with some horrible disease."

"I can do that."

"Oh." I thought of something else. "Maybe you can buy a crowbar and see if you can pry Billy Black's head out of his ass. He's the one that will make things hard on her if anyone will. I'll work on the others."


	6. Chaos Strikes

**Note:** Disclaimer in first chapter. Thanks again for all the comments and reviews! They are nummy treats that make me write faster. Remember, if you have a specific question let me know and I'll do my best to answer you personally.

**Chapter 6**

The Whitlocks were almost all present when I arrived Sunday morning. Jasper and Emmett met me at the front door, appearing tense, but not entirely unwelcoming; formal I supposed you'd call it. The rest were in the living room, save Rosalie. I assumed she was down in the basement with a messed up sense of self-flagellation, serving some sort of penance for her role in Friday's mistake.

I eyed each of them as they returned my level stare. Edward disliked me from the beginning; at the moment he seemed to hate me. It was an uncomfortable look coming from the face of someone that once adored me. Esme averted her gaze when met with my own, but she didn't seem the least bit comfortable in her own home with me standing there. I suddenly had an inkling about how the Volturi felt whenever they visited someone outside of Volterra. Alice, though, she smiled brightly and sped happily to my side.

"Perhaps we should proceed," Jasper suggested.

Alice squeezed my arm to get my attention before leading me to the basement. "Isabella quieted down Saturday afternoon, so she's on schedule to wake up sometime this morning. Rose has been watching over her all this time. I wanted to go ahead and get her a new wardrobe, but Rose insisted in waiting, so I just went to Isabella's house and got her a few things. Did you have this bad of taste in clothes in your world?"

"I like to be comfortable, Alice. Wearing the height of fashion isn't comfortable to me."

When I opened the door to the basement, just as Alice said, Isabella wasn't screaming anymore.

"Do you really think she'll have control this early?"

I shrugged. "I was turned just before my nineteenth birthday. I had a lot of exposure to the lifestyle and knew what to expect, plus I wanted it. Isabella only had a few hours to wrap her head around the idea before Rosalie used her leg as a chew toy."

The sound of teeth grinding from further in the basement brought a small smile to my lips. Sorry, but Rose being the cause for Isabella's introduction into vampirism was such sweet irony; I couldn't resist. While my Rose and I came to an understanding in my world, she still couldn't comprehend how a perfectly normal human woman didn't want a litter of babies to watch over. In my opinion, adults were just as whiny and they had the added advantage of being potty-trained. I preferred them over the smaller variety.

"Hello, Rosalie."

Her posture was perfect as she sat there beside the cot and held Isabella's hand in some sort of comforting motherly gesture. She didn't bother to respond to my greeting. I guessed this was another broken home for Isabella; she had two makers that didn't get along to mirror her human parents.

I listened intently for my childe's heartbeat and was rewarded with a struggling one, estimating she still had another hour or two of comatose humanity left in this world.

"You do know that she can't hear you or perceive you in any way beyond the first few minutes of the change," I mentioned upon approach.

"That doesn't mean she should be abandoned to go through this alone," Rose snapped back.

"Had to make sure she had a peaceful home, friends, and family to awaken to, didn't I?"

"She has one here!" Rose snapped.

That took me somewhat by surprise, but I suppose it shouldn't have. Rose finally had a daughter of sorts, and she wanted to raise her.

"No, that's not happening. Isabella will be trained by me until she's able to make rational decisions on her own."

She let go of her hand and stood to meet me head on. "She's my childe. I was the one that first bit her."

"No, you were the one that tried to make her an early morning snack. You being the model of restraint; she'd be dead if Emmett and I weren't there to pull you off of her."

Her near black eyes announced the unbridled fury that she was about to unleash before she staggered and looked about, clueless. Ah, Jasper. It was always nice to have a projecting empath around to calm the masses.

"Rose, why don't you go hunt before Isabella wakes up," he suggested. "You'll want to be at your best, won't you?"

She looked at if she wanted to complain and forgot what the topic was all about. Jasper being the leader of a coven was a frightening thought once I really took into account what he could do with his gift in peaceful times. Regardless, she made her way upstairs and disappeared.

I glanced at him for a moment before looking to Alice, who was still smiling as brightly as she did when I walked into the house, and staring up at me. I really had to talk to her about that. It was getting somewhat creepy. The only times I'd ever seen her so focused, on my world, was when she was around Jasper. When my Alice was around me, most of the time, she was off in her own little Alice-world of shopping or planning events, usually involving me dressing up for one reason or another.

"It'll be a while, guys," she said to Jasper. Emmett was still at the top of the stairs. "We can keep an eye on Isabella."

Jasper agreed, with a nod of his head, a little too easily. It made me wonder if this was all pre-planned. Knowing Alice, this was a distinct possibility.

"Let's sit and talk." Alice motioned to the couch along the wall opposite Isabella's cot while Jasper disappeared upstairs, closing the door behind him.

I didn't see any reason not to go along with whatever this was. The main topic of conversation recently had to do with the small house she and Esme had found in the woods north of Charlie's place. It once belonged to an old survivalist from the nineties era. Supposedly, once he saw what the government was willing and eager to do to the people in Waco, Texas, he picked up everything and moved to the mountains in the middle of nowhere.

Most of the house was underground, leaving the unimportant rooms on the surface. To vampires, the protections he had on the house wouldn't slow us much; foot thick concrete walls surrounded by wood veneer to give it a normal appearance, would make a vampire pause long enough to punch through them if they wanted.

The only reason I approved of the pick was for the uncompleted tunnel he had started before he died. It gave me ideas.

I digress.

Making myself comfortable at one end of the couch, I assumed Alice was going to take the other end or maybe curl up in the middle. No, she sat right next to me and then turned around so she could face me as she leaned on my leg that I had propped up. Again, it was almost as if she had planned the whole thing.

"Comfortable?" I asked somewhat sarcastically.

Alice didn't rise to the bait. "Very."

Raising my eyebrow didn't do any good; maybe I should switch to some other gesture. She wasn't going to explain herself unless I specifically asked. I could see that much already.

"Okay, what's up with all the attention?"

"Whatever do you mean, Bella?"

I rolled my eyes at the poorly done innocence spiel. It might have been the cheeky smile she gave me afterward.

"Look, I know you're a naturally clingy, touchy-feely person, but this is over the top, even for you."

Her attitude toned down slightly, but she wasn't moving anywhere, so I knew I was stuck with whatever was rolling around in her mind.

"I like you, Bella."

"I like you too, hence the whole starting a new coven with you and everything."

She didn't say anything after that, but the stare Alice was giving me never faltered. With my exceedingly keen observation skills, which I've honed over the course of my lifetime, I realized that she probably meant something else with that statement. Running various scenarios over in my head I deduced she wanted something. Given the events that have transpired of the last few days I could only come to one daunting conclusion.

"Who is it?"

Alice looked at me oddly for a few seconds. "Who is who?"

"What?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The person that you want to bring into the coven. Is he already changed? Is he your mate? It's not Mike Newton, is it?"

Somewhere along the line, I'd obviously derailed and was careening over the metaphorical school bus. When Alice sighed and looked severely disappointed I knew that my guess was wrong.

"You don't want anyone else to join our coven?" I bravely asked.

She shook her head slowly. "Nuh-uh."

"But you want something."

"Uh-huh."

Looking to the side, I tried thinking of what Alice didn't have that she really wanted. "A new car?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Is this a some_thing_ or a some_one_? You know this would move along a lot faster if you'd just come out and tell me," I explained. "I'm a very straight forward person. I'm really bad at guessing games and… umph!"

My mind went totally blank when she pressed her lips against mine. Do you know how difficult it is to make a vampire not think of something? Our minds are not like sieves. We retain every single thing we've ever seen, forever. I can remember individual raindrops that blanketed my windshield the first time I took my Ferrari into its first Forks shower. I remember the time that – oh sweet mother of drunken cattle – I remember the look on Alice's face when I allowed her inside my mental shield so she could have a normal vision on my first day here.

She had a vision; a very long vision; most likely about us and some magically lesbionic future together. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

I felt her move and literally climb on top of me, deepening the kiss, while I shifted to the right and fell over, still firmly attached to her at the lips.

It's amazing what finally started going through my head. Usually, at times like these, with my Edward, I was like, "_Yes! I'm finally getting some_!", but this was an entirely different sort of situation. This was my best friend and sister, or at least it was her counterpart in another world.

Shouldn't I be feeling revulsion or maybe very naughty incestuous thoughts? It wasn't like she was my sister by blood or anything gross like that, thank Kali and her many many armpits. Eww, that wasn't a very romantic thought. And this is what it was supposed to be, right? Romance? Isn't that why I was currently having a very delightful tongue dance with my best friend? Isn't that why I was seriously enjoying the way her taste was invading my mouth and the feel of her hands caressing the sides of my face while I gripped her tight little…

"Oh god," someone said. "I'm a psycho _lesbian_ vampire in the future."

Alice jerked back and my head snapped to the side to see Isabella sitting up on the cot with her hand covering her mouth like she was going to be sick.

"This isn't happening," she mumbled as Alice lithely sprang off the couch and looked to me.

"We're mates," Alice announced.

I tried to sit and wound up rolling off the couch because of its overabundance of cush. It was a very cushy couch.

_Graceful, Bella; real graceful_.

"Really guys?" Isabella complained. "I'm laying here, feeling like I'm doing the backstroke in Mount Vesuvius for three weeks, and you two are getting it on? Please tell me you didn't have sex ten feet away from me."

"We didn't have sex ten feet away from you," Alice replied tossing her hand through her hair. "We didn't have enough time. You aren't supposed to be awake yet. I was supposed to have another hour and thirteen minutes!"

I sighed as I struggled to my feet and tried my best to manage my hormones. "Two chaos gifted vampires in the same room, Alice."

"Ugh! I'm so frustrated right now." She looked at me. "I'll be back. I have to take care of a something or I'll never be able to concentrate. We're not finished with this. Tonight. The bedroom. Our house. Ninety-four years, Bella. I'm not waiting another day; not one! And you!"

I had to say; aggressively bossy Alice was somewhat of a turn-on when she spun on Isabella. "Pay attention to her. I want at least three hours tonight of bellicose Bella lovin', bare minimum. Ha! Say that three times fast! Ninety-four years I've been a virgin, saving myself for the perfect girl, and now she's here! The messed up part about the whole thing is I'm being cock-blocked by you, her unbelievably sexy identical twin, who I'm not attracted to in the least."

As Alice started upstairs she kept rambling to herself. "Take a lover Alice. You can't wait around forever, Alice. You wonder why I like to shop! This is why! Endless pent-up sexual energy has to find its way out somehow. You should have seen Jasper's face when I told him you were the one, Bella. It was…"

The door slammed shut behind her, cutting off the tirade.

"Wow," Isabella whispered.

"Yeah."

Both of us stood there staring up at the door until Isabella looked over at me. "So… lesbian?"

"Uh… I guess? I haven't really thought about it for a couple of decades… or more."

Now that I come to think of it, I brought up visions of all the pretty girls I've known over the years and they did absolutely nothing for me. How in the hell did I wind up in this kind of a situation… ugh.

"Damn Chaos!"

Anytime, anywhere, no matter how improbable, my gift rears its ugly head and zaps me in the ass!

~O~

"It's gross!" Isabella whined while the deer's heartbeat waned. "I don't wanna!"

"You have to know how to hunt in case your bagged blood supply runs out."

"But…"

"No buts. Drink, then we'll go to the house and have some of the good stuff."

I know how she felt. There's something intrinsically wrong about wrapping your lips around Bambi's neck and sucking out her blood. It's how I felt whenever I have to revert to hunting. Luckily, those times are few and far between. There's usually a hospital within running distance.

Isabella's face was squinched up, but she drank deeply, sating her thirst. When it flowed to no more than a trickle the deer dropped out of her hands and she started pawing at her mouth.

"Gross! I have hair in my teeth! Gah!" I watched as her midsection convulsed. "I'm going to be sick."

"Don't! Keep it down!"

Her cheeks bulged and she took on a particularly odd shade of lime about her skin, but eventually she calmed herself.

"Phftt," she spat. "Phftt! I'm never getting this taste out of my mouth. Do you have some Listerine strips?"

"That just makes it worse," I said to her chagrin. "Your taste buds have totally changed. Don't even try to put anything in your mouth that you did as a human. You think the deer blood was bad…"

I shivered.

"Can I have some real blood then? I can't believe I just said that."

"Give me your hand. I'll take you to the house."

Isabella looked at me oddly. "Do we have to hold hands?"

"Well, if you want to zip off at the first scent of human blood and kill any random person then go right ahead. Consider me your seatbelt for the duration, until we find out if you have any control."

She looked at it warily. "You're not going to zap me with your chaos lesbian gift thing, are you?"

"It's not a—you know what? I'm dropping you off with the Whitlocks where they can take care of you. They only eat animals. Have fun with that."

"No!" she yelled in a panic. "I'm sorry. I'm just feeling all snarky for some reason. Oh gosh, I'm turning into you!"

Collapsing to the forest floor, Isabella started sobbing into her hands. "I don't want to be a psycho lesbian gun nut vampire!"

With an annoyed sigh I leaned up against the closest tree. "I don't remember being this twitchy as a newborn. It's probably Rosalie's venom that did it. I know this didn't come from my side of the family. Did you accept that you were turning into a vampire or did you forget because of all the pain?"

There was a distinct growl from her direction. "I accepted it. All I thought about was how I could finally have Jasper once I changed. About how I could throw him on the ground and… um, nervermind."

With a shrug I said. "Don't worry about it. Being an unsatisfied horny teenage girl is one thing I _clearly_ remember from my human years and strangely enough from my vampire years as well."

Isabella looked up at me curiously. "Your Edward and you never…"

"No, we did. It was a monthly thing. He never wanted to do it any more than that because of some religious thing about procreation he got from Carlisle, our family's leader. He was a minister's son back in the middle ages or something. I never really paid attention. Carlisle learned it from his dad and then passed on his pearls of wisdom to Edward. Like I said, it was nice. We just never did it often enough to get really good at it. I mean I wanted to try out some of the Kama Sutra stuff I learned on the internet during my virgin years, but he just…"

"Can we not talk about your unsatisfying sex life, please?" she shot at me. "I think you have a hyper-caffeinated pixie vampire waiting for you that'll make all that a moot point."

I grinned. "Weeeeellll, look who's got a mouth on her."

Isabella jumped up and grabbed my hand. "Can we go so I can rinse this foul taste out of said mouth?"

There was a hard tug on my hand, but I was expecting it so my feet were already firmly planted into a slow pace.

"Why are we walking?" Isabella nearly whined. Hopefully that wasn't going to be an ongoing thing. I hate whiners.

"I have things you need to know and you'll be very distracted drinking half our supply of human blood when we get home."

She let out a sound of annoyance with a large huff. "More talking. There should be running and leaping."

"I think you got your impatience from Rosalie as well," I said as I jerked her hand back. "Listen up, Isabella. I'm your sire and for the time being your family leader. Until you show me that you can control yourself and make rational decisions you will be following every single order I give. The sooner you act normal and rational, the sooner you can go bone Jasper until your eyes cross."

Her attitude instantly changed as it was obvious she was thinking about said boning. "It's weird. I can smell him, you know? It's like he's right here with us. I got a good scent of him when we passed just outside the house and he looked at me with those piercing gold eyes. I wanted to jump him right there. Why didn't you let me!"

I didn't have the heart to tell her Jasper was trailing us from about a hundred yards out, watching every single move we made, and listening to every single hormonal induced word coming out of her mouth.

"Because you need to learn vampire stuff first. Priorities, Isabella."

"Fine; teach me!"

"First, is the blood. You have to always plan ahead unless you want to be in the middle of Seattle with a strong desire to eat all of its citizens on a particularly busy day. Vampires are the exact opposite of humans when it comes to this adage: Drink then Drive. Even if you've fed recently, it's always a good idea to have one for the road. You'll want to keep your thirst at a minimum around your fellow students of Forks High, no matter how much they annoy you."

"Hold on," Isabella said with annoyance. "I have to go back to school? Won't they notice something wrong when I come in all white skinned and red-eyed?"

With a nod I pulled her along. "Charlie's already putting the word out that you contracted some weird genetic disease. They'll be expecting you to come back different. This'll explain why you act differently as well."

She shook her head ruefully. "Lauren and Jessica are going to eat this up. They're probably already passing the word that I have a hump on my back and talk with a bad lisp or something."

"And won't they fall flat on their face when you return ten times hotter than when you left? Graceful, full-bodied hair, blemish free skin…"

~O~

"How is she doing?" Alice asked as we watched Isabella's hands shake as she cut into pack after pack and poured the contents into a large Big Gulp cup without spilling a single drop.

"Better than I thought. She's holding it together long enough to think beyond bloodlust and Jasper's package."

Her lips quirked to the side in thought before she looked up at me. "Do you think we can leave her alone for a few hours so we could… you know?"

"No. Not yet."

"Damn. Maybe we can get Jasper to watch her. Three or four hours at the most… maybe five. I'm sure he could keep her busy."

Isabella looked out of the kitchen at me with a hopeful look on her face after hearing Alice's plans. I kind of know how she felt. Needless to say, it had been a while for me as well, and after tasting Alice I wanted more. Less than three hours before I was a non-practicing heterosexual, and now look at me. As soon as I saw her when we walked through the door, I could almost swear my long dead heart thumped a single time.

I was sure the whole mating thing was one mate for one vampire, but then again I'm not entirely sure I felt this way about my Edward. It wasn't like any relationship I'd heard of or experienced before. There weren't any longing stares across crowded rooms or the buildup of excitement before seeing her like I used to feel when I was human and awaiting Edward. It was just instinctual.

Once she kissed me it was all downhill. Alice told me we were mates and I guess my chaos gift took it from there, making it so. I mean what else could it be? I just didn't look at girls like this. A person wasn't some dehydrated soup mix where you add water and _poof _instant lesbian! That's not the way the world worked. There was supposed to be romance, and flowers, and date nights with flirting and loads of angst, not instant attraction and an overwhelming desire to throw them up against the wall and get raw.

"She needs to be exposed to a human. If she can handle it then I'll call Jasper."

"Yes!" Isabella whispered to herself and pumped a hand in the air with a mild girly squeal soon thereafter.

Alice moved one direction and then the next, looking like an ADHD squirrel in the middle of the road about to be run over. "I'll go get the human."

I grabbed her arm before she could get very far. "You can't pick them up at McDonalds like take out, Alice. We need to take her to town, to the woods behind Newtons. If she's going to eat someone I want it to be someone nobody will miss."

"Damn," Isabella remarked. "That was cold. He's not _that_ bad. I'm pretty sure Jessica Stanley will miss him around prom time."

Alice dashed over to the kitchen. "Come on, Isabella. Drink drink drink! We have places to go and people to see! Do you need anymore? Are you completely thirstless, totally satiated? Maybe we should take one for the road."

"Why are you so manic all of the sudden?"

Alice squeezed her eyes shut and a breath shuddered out of her mouth. "I've waited for ninety-four years to find my mate, Isabella. I had a vision and found her. I was in the process of cementing the mating bond when you woke up. So, there's this exposed raw nerve just hanging there, out in the open, being batted around like a piñata. The sooner you get your act together the sooner that nerve can be connected to its mate. I love you like a sister sweetie, we're going to be great friends, but if you don't get your shit together and not eat any humans, I'm going to go insane. M'kay? Fine. Let's go."

Isabella paused for a moment and then chugged the entire sixty-four ounce cup of human blood, licked her lips and nodded. "I've got this."

Ten minutes later the three of us were standing at the edge of the forest. Isabella had one hand firmly in my grasp and the other in Alice's.

"It smells really good and kind of rank," she commented.

"They go along with each other. By nature, humans stink, but their blood is sweet," I added.

Alice couldn't let that one go without her addition as well. "Gym class is the worst. It's like a petri dish of human bacteria that's never been cleaned since the beginning of time."

I nodded in agreement. "I tried it once back on my world. Then I got Carlisle to write me a note excusing me from taking it."

"A note?" Alice asked.

"He was a surgeon. Doctors can do all sorts of things that normal people can't."

"A vampire doctor? Wow, he must have had some serious control."

"I want to go closer," Isabella said interrupting our conversation.

"Is that because you're testing yourself or because there's a nummy treat inside that building?" I asked.

"Uh… the first one, I think."

Right when I was about to lead her to the back door, Mike Newton stepped out with a garbage bag in his hand, so I jerked Isabella back.

"Deep breath. Breath it all in," I said to her.

She did as directed and then her nose squinched up. "He stinks."

Alice nodded in sympathy. "Teen boys. They're a hormonal petri dish of stinkiness. That's even if you can talk them into bathing once in a while."

Both of us looked at Alice, but it was Isabella that asked. "What is it with you and petri dishes?"

She shrugged in return then rolled her eyes and looked away from Newton. I glanced back and watched as he finished picking his nose. "Ugh."

"I think it's safe to say that I'm too repulsed to even think about drinking from him," Isabella declared. "Why don't boys use tissues?"

"That would be far too sanitary," I replied. "We can't have that."

Isabella breathe out, looking quite satisfied that she was in control. "Soooo, I didn't eat him. Can I go visit Jasper now?"

"Well… that wasn't really a true test," I commented. "But I guess we can call it a start. Jasper, can you come pick her up?"

My counterpart froze in place. "He's here?"

I nodded. "He's been following us from the beginning."

A blur of moment and Jasper was by her side taking Isabella's hand and kissing it again. "Miss Swan, it is my distinct pleasure to watch over you for the remainder of the day."

I think she almost swooned. It was disgusting. Vampires don't swoon.

"Would you like to go on a run through the mountains or perhaps we could go back to the house and… talk."

Isabella giggled and I didn't have time to make gagging noises before Alice had a firm hand on my wrist and was tugging me away for her own nefarious reasons.


	7. Anyone For a Donut?

**Note:** Disclaimer in first chapter. Had to go back and rewrite a good chunk of this chapter that I didn't like, so it's late a day. Bleh. Thanks once more for all the reviews and comments. I was very happy receiving each and every one of them. You are so supportive and that's rare in the fan fiction community. Kisses!

**Chapter 7**

Alice rolled off me with a content smile on her face. "I feel so much better. Don't you feel better?"

I looked to the bathroom and then kicked off the last of the shredded sheet. "I feel like a glazed donut, but I do appear more relaxed."

"Bella," she protested. "Don't be crude. That was magical and spiritually cleansing."

"I just never knew what it was like from different perspective. You've got to admit that this kind of sex is virtually nothing like the hetero kind."

She lay on the bed, stretching out and I paused to watch Alice arch into an impossible back breaking contortion. Her eyes were on me the entire time as I stalled in my short journey to the shower.

"See something you like? All you have to do is ask and I'll be accommodating."

I had to groan and turn away before we found ourselves in bed for another four hours. "We have to pick Isabella up from the sitter."

Alice giggled joyfully. "I'd hardly call Jasper a babysitter. If he is then we've definitely got to talk to him about keeping his hands off Isabella. They've been very naughty; or rather I should say that _she's_ been very naughty."

After I flipped the shower on to let the water get hot I looked back at the bed. I learned long ago not to question how Alice knows things. "So Jasper's been the perfect gentleman?"

Pushing herself up, Alice fell out of the bed into a perfect handstand, flipped around to where she could see me and grinned. It was very distracting. "He tried; really. They made it about halfway to the house and Isabella tackled him. He suggested a clean bed and she told him that staying clean was the last thing on her mind."

"Ugh." I seriously didn't want to picture this.

I kind of felt sorry for Alice that she had to witness all these things without any kind of porn filter. She couldn't just fast forward past the naughty parts. With certain couples that wouldn't be too awful, but with the good comes the bad.

"Kiss me, Bella."

Turning my head I tried to see how that was this was doable without going into a handstand like my mate. She giggled at me.

"Handstand, Bella, handstand!"

~O~

Alice was much less manic as we ran hand in hand through the forest to the Whitlock house, though she did have a smile plastered on her face the entire time. We came in the back way and slowed to walk before exiting the tree line only to not hear much going on inside.

"Are they not here?"

She squeezed my hand and nodded. "The others have gone hunting to give them some time alone in the basement."

Before I had a chance to step inside Alice stopped me.

"Give them another ten minutes. They're almost done."

I frowned and chose to sit down at the patio lounge, while Alice chose to sit on my lap and tease my neck with her lips. There are worse things in the world that I have to put up with than an affectionate girlfriend, mate, whatever.

Mate. I almost didn't want to think about the subject. If she was my mate then that meant we were meant to be together forever and that basically meant a committed relationship much like marriage. Did this mean we were supposed to get married? If we were getting married it would mean that I, being the marriage hating person that I am, would not have only gone through the process once, but twice.

Would she take my name or was I supposed to take hers? Or maybe we would just keep our own names. Was I supposed to propose? We really didn't have any gender roles we were following. I remember specifically how aggressive she was in bed and how aggressive I was as well.

"You're thinking too hard," Alice whispered before flicking my earlobe with her tongue. "Just let things happen naturally."

With a sigh I tried my best to relax. "I don't know if you've noticed this about me, but ever since my family was killed I've been very task oriented. I make lists in my head of things that have to be done and then do them as fast as I can so at some point I can relax."

Her hand moved up on the side of my neck, caressing it lightly while she planted little kisses on the other side. "And have you ever reached a point where you can relax?"

That didn't take too long to figure out. "No, I got killed the same day I finished my last task. Or I came here rather. So, I've got to start all over again. That's why I've been running around so much."

"Mmm."

I was getting severely distracted by the way Alice was giving me attention. It was a little peck here, a tiny lick there, and then she'd find a spot that she liked and opened her mouth to for a perfect seal so she could suck on my neck.

"I've got to arrange for new ID, a new passport, travel arrangements to… to… uh, what was I talking about?"

Her succulent mouth detached from a very sensitive spot and Alice whispered. "Taking a break and spending the next week in bed with me."

Was I really? Getting distracted like that didn't sound like me in the least. "Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh. Pretty sure."

"Prague!" I announced.

"Ugh." Alice pulled away and looked me in the eyes with a very serious expression. "If we go over to Prague and take care of this Bert person…"

"Kurtz."

"Whatever. If we take care of this Kurtz person then will you take a break? Like maybe a month or two and just spend it with me? We could go someplace where we could be alone with no cares in the world except each other."

That sounded really nice, but I knew that wasn't the end of the threats out there. "I'll have to take care of the Volturi too."

Her shoulders dropped. "Bella, it's not your duty to protect the entire world."

"I know. It's for our family. I'll never be totally relaxed unless I know they're all gone. Then, I promise, we'll take a vacation until you're satisfied that I'm chilled out."

Leaning forward she traced my lips with her tongue and then plunged it into my mouth as she grasped the back of my head roughly and let me know how much she wanted me. Of course, we had to be distracted by a sudden earthshattering thump. All the windows on the house rattled and Alice pulled back to look over her shoulder.

"Jasper's showing off," she said.

The first thump was soon followed by a very rhythmic thumping, and I tried my best to get the images of what was going on down in the basement out of my head. It was impossible, especially when the thumping sped up and I could have sworn I heard a muted scream.

"Ah good," Alice announced. "They're done."

"Finally."

She turned back to me. "You sound jealous. Should we leave her here tonight? I can make you scream much louder and a lot longer than that pitiful showing."

Of that I had no doubt. "I really need to get on her training so I can get to Prague."

"We."

"Sorry?"

"You said 'so I can get to Prague.' Where you go, I go. So, _we."_

"Alice."

"Tough. I need to look over your sexy hunting outfit, so I can make one for myself. And you'll need to get me some guns like yours, or maybe something bigger. Do you think I'd look hot carrying one of those miniguns that you were talking to Emmett about?"

My mind went to a weird place right then. "I think that a mini gun is bigger than you are and it would be awkward for you to carry around, but yes—definitely hot looking."

"We can get some professional pictures taken and blow them up for our walls, maybe get Emmett to photoshop some explosions in the background. He has the best Girls With Guns portfolio around."

"You're a very weird person, Alice."

She smiled and pecked me on the lips before hopping up. "Thanks. Normal is boring. Let's go let them know we're here before Jasper tries to destabilize the structural integrity of the foundation. Esme's going to be pissed if she has to have humans out here fixing things."

Alice cracked the basement door open just enough to be heard. "Yoohoo, we're back. Could you quit defiling Bella's childe long enough for her to take a shower? My nose would appreciate it."

Then she shut the door and gave me another brilliant grin.

"Let's wait in the living ro… ugh." She paused long enough to have a mini-vision and then backed up to open the door again. "You'll flood the basement if you do that, Jasper."

Grabbing my hand, Alice shut the door again and led me to the living room. "He was about to follow Isabella to the shower. She forgets her strength in the middle of the act and accidently rips out the plumbing."

I just want it said for the record that I look ridiculous hanging off Jasper's arm looking up at him all adoringly while wearing a baseball jersey that read _Whitlock_ on the back. There are some advantages to having a twin. I can let her try out all the clothes that Alice probably has in mind for me. If they look bad then I don't have to wear them even once! The problem is going to be separating these two horn-dog lovebirds from each other long enough to get anything done.

Jasper looked absolutely, unequivocally chilled out. All the tension that normally sits in the corners of his eyes and around his shoulders was totally gone. I almost expected him to drop down on the couch light up a bong and say, "S'up."

Instead, he dropped down on the couch, Isabella balled up under his arm, still staring at him longingly, and he said, "Mrs. Cullen, Alice."

"Mr. Whitlock," I replied. "Is Isabella totally useless for the rest of the day?"

His lips twitched, but it was Isabella that answered with a sigh, "Yeah. I mean… Hey! I'm not useless."

"Well, you are if you can't take your eyes off Mr. Perfect here for five seconds to acknowledge your sire."

She huffed at me. "Look, um, Jasper can teach me everything I need to know, so you know… thanks and everything. I'm going to be a Whitlock from here on out."

I nodded knowingly. "Okay. What are your plans for next week's training, Mr. Whitlock?"

"I _have_ trained a newborn or two over the years, Mrs. Cullen." When I didn't comment back he looked up in the air and pulled some plans out of his butt. "Hunting and feeding from the local fauna will be first."

Isabella's eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "Um, honey. I really don't like the taste of animals. I really liked the taste of the bagged blood at Bella's."

He turned to her and gently cupped her jaw. "Sweetie, the Whitlocks are a vegetarian coven. We feed from the wildlife."

Her eyes darted to me and me and then back to Jasper. "But…"

"No, buts, darlin'. I'm the coven leader and I know what's best for the members of my coven."

I just smiled sweetly and didn't say a word. Sex or blood; something had to give, and I knew quite well that you can live off of one, but not the other. When she looked to me again I just raised my eyebrows expectantly. I could already see the look in her eyes. It was the same one I always had when I knew I couldn't have my cake and eat it too.

"Okay," Isabella rose off the couch and shoved her hands in her pockets. "You ready to go, Bella?"

Patting Alice on the hand I turned to her. "Would you take Isabella out back? I need to have a private word with Mr. Whitlock."

A peck on the lips later and the room was empty save for Jasper and me.

"Two words of advice, Jasper: one, Isabella is a girl of the new millennium; the whole do-what-I-say-woman thing went out in the fifties. Two: if you ever try to bogart one of my family again without coming to me first I will rip off that thing you've suddenly become so proud of and have it bronzed for Isabella so she won't have to worry about going without."

Jasper stood off the couch and glared down at me. "I think it's time for you to leave, Mrs. Cullen. Consider your guest invitation revoked. You are no longer welcome in my home and will not be under my protection if you enter our property."

While it wasn't completely unexpected, I was somewhat surprised that he had the balls to do it considering I had what he wanted most of all. "Don't make an enemy out of me, Jasper. You won't like what I'm fully capable of doing these days."

He smiled anticipatorily. "Please, by all means, give it your best shot and you'll find out why I've been called the God of War."

Neither of us backed down, but I was in his home and I try to respect people's homes enough not to damage them while I'm inside, unless provoked, of course.

So I left and then immediately whipped out my datapad.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked like I was being a bad girl or something.

Just because she was right didn't faze me at all. "Cementing my point in his stubborn, misogynistic, brain."

Isabella looked back at the house longingly, but ducked her head and turned away.

"You'll find somebody else," I said as my fingers flew over the pad.

"He's not my mate?"

Alice shook her head. "We thought there was a good possibility, but you would have given in to the diet just to be with him if he was."

"Damn," she muttered. "The sex was really good."

"And it'll be better with your real mate," I added and then tucked the datapad away. "So, who's all for visiting a gruff chief of police? Raise your hand."

"Charlie!" Isabella gasped. "I forgot! He's probably worried sick."

Alice grabbed her before she started off. "Do you need to feed first? Are you thirsty?"

Isabella's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! I could have eaten, Charlie! Can we stop by the house first?"

~O~

"How are you doing?"

Isabella looked to me and shrugged. "He kind of smells – off."

I nodded, seeing that she was having the same reaction I had soon after I was turned. "You've planted him in the no drinking category in your head. You'll do that with a lot of humans, especially the ones you were friends with. It's the ones that annoy you or tick you off that you have to actually try not to eat."

"Wait," Alice said as she looked completely annoyed. "You can just categorize people that you don't want to eat and it magically doesn't tempt you?"

That pretty much summed it up. "Well I wouldn't call it magic, but yeah. It's just a state of mind."

She made a very irritated noise with her throat. "They're all the same to me. I want to eat everyone."

Kissing the top of her head I tried to let her down gently. "Then accept that you love being a vampire and that you want to be one. Oh, and switch your diet to the bagged stuff. You really will have more control that way."

Alice frowned as she thought it over. "Jasper says that we're more aggressive when we're on human blood. That's one of the main reasons all the Whitlocks only drink from animals."

I couldn't exactly counter that argument with any empirical evidence. "So experiment. Try my way for a couple of months and see if you're more aggressive. If you're not then we'll know for sure."

"Guys," Isabella interrupted. "Can we go visit with Charlie now?"

"You remember the rules: no hugs and stay at least five feet away from him at all times until we're sure that it's safe."

I took the lead and knocked on the back door so I wouldn't surprise him. Ten seconds later I saw him peek through the window curtains and open the door right after. His eyes shifted past Alice and I to Isabella. Before he had a chance to make any decisions about what to do I raised a hand to his chest.

"Charlie, she has pretty good control, but we don't want to push her limits, alright?"

He turned to look at me. "What's that mean?"

With a shrug I explained. "Think of her as a recovering heroin addict and your neck is her next fix. It all comes down to her willpower and not putting a tempting target inches away from her mouth, so keep your distance until we're convinced of her control."

Charlie simply swallowed and stood back to let us in. Thinking better of the situation he went ahead and moved to the living room to stand beside his recliner until we were all present.

"Isabella." He stood there taking her in, noting all the changes or differences between the girl he knew three days previously.

"I'm okay, Dad."

She took a seat on the couch. Alice sat beside her and I leaned on the arm of the couch so as to be that much closer to Charlie in case she made a break for him.

"You look," Charlie swallowed roughly, "good. A little paler and the red eyes are, um, different."

"They'll darken like mine within a couple of months. I suggest lightly tinted or even smoked sunglasses for school until then. You can tell them she has a light sensitivity or something. We'll pick some up for her."

He just nodded along in a really tense way. "I talked to a friend of mine in Oregon. He's a doctor and he's writing up an excuse for missing school. I didn't give him any specifics. He owes me anyway for keeping his boy out of lockup for DUI."

I grinned at the thought of Charlie being a good ol' boy. "It'll be a good idea for her to skip gym class. Other than that there shouldn't be any problems."

"You might want to call your mom, Isabella. She's worried. I just told her that you came down with the flu and was feeling too miserable to talk."

She acknowledged him and looked as if she was trying to relax. "Is everything going okay here? Are you eating?"

"I'm fine, honey. I've been doing it for years. Just take care of your needs for now." He looked to me, seriously. "Speaking of which. Are you running into any costs? I can help out."

Alice snorted. "Bella's fine, Charlie. She raided the Volturi's bank accounts. She's got more money than Opera and Bill Gates put together… probably more money than most moderate sized countries now that I think about it. Why haven't we gone shopping yet?"

I did my best not to flinch in front of Charlie; he was a cop after all.

"The who?" he asked with great interest and a shifty set of cop eyes.

"The Volturi," I replied. "They're a self-appointed coven of vampires in Italy that think they're royalty. I emptied their bank accounts, but after routing it through twenty-three major banks and stashing it in the Caribbean they'll never find out what happened to it. Trust me when I say that a broke Volturi is a good thing."

Charlie leaned back on his recliner and looked off into space for a moment. "How much are we talking about here?"

I cleared my throat. "A lot."

"And you do this sort of thing often?"

"Well it's not like it took all that long. The program was already on my datapad, I just had to adapt it to this time period."

"Uh-huh. Well, you know there's a new St. Croix Legend baitcaster that that just hit the market. Ted Newton said he's ordering a couple for the tourists and my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks…"

Isabella looked over at me with a scowl. "Will you quit tempting my dad with payoffs. Ugh… I'm going to call Mom."

I rolled my eyes. She'll eventually realize that her father doesn't exactly pull down the big bucks being a chief of police in such a small town. "Ignore her. She's still getting used to the lifestyle."

He shrugged and relaxed a little, but not much. "So how's she really doing?"

"Good; about as well as I did, so she'll be fine once she gets settled in to a routine. I'll be training her for the week and we should have her back here by the weekend at the latest if everything goes okay."

Charlie looked toward the vicinity of Isabella's room upstairs. "She'll be… um, safe to be around?"

"Oh. Yeah, totally. All she has to work on is her strength. We'll be exposing her to more humans all week. We'll go to Port Angeles so we're not recognized… and so Alice can shop."

"Yea!" Alice clapped happily. Upon seeing my face she added. "What? I never said I didn't like to shop. I just said lack of satisfying sex for ninety-four years made me manic about it."

Charlie's eyes widened and I had a serious need to facepalm, but I held back.

"What?" she continued. "Charlie's an adult, who most likely enjoys satisfying sex. Don't you, Charlie?"

He cleared his throat and tried his best to let the proverbial water roll off his back so he could appear somewhat cool. "Uh… who doesn't?"

"There," Alice proclaimed as she pointed at him. "See! You should know, that your daughter from another world is surprisingly very adept in cunniling… mumph!"

Alice struggled slightly against my hand covering her mouth and then eyed me as I apologized. "Sorry. Alice tends to overshare at times."

When her tongue popped out to lick my palm, I withdrew. "I'm just sayin'. I was paying you a compliment, by the way, and just in case Isabella goes lesbian in the future, Charlie won't be surprised, that's all."

"I'm not going lesbian in the future!" Isabella yelled from her room.

I glanced up toward the stairs and focus in on her conversation with Renée. "You're going lesbian in the future? Oh, Isabella, that's nothing to be concerned about. Didn't I tell you about the time with Sally Curtzfeild, my roommate in college?"

"Ugh," Isabella moaned.

~O~

"I can't believe Renée thinks I'm a lesbian."

Alice shrugged. "It's not like we're diseased or something. We just don't derive pleasure from the male penis is all."

"Would you stop saying _penis_," Isabella pleaded.

"It's a perfectly scientific term. I don't see what the big deal is. It's the new millennium. Girls are supposed to be secure in their sexuality."

"Well, I'm not. I'm very comfortable skirting around issues, using innuendo, and avoiding confrontations about sexuality."

Alice snorted. "That's not what I heard when Bella and I came to pick you up this afternoon. I distinctly heard someone of the female variety yell out, _take me you big stud_!"

Isabella turned on her. "I did not say that."

I was pretty sure I didn't hear that either.

"Really?" Alice paused for a moment and appeared as if she was deep in thought. "Maybe that was Esme and Emmett from last week."

"Ugh."

~O~

"Where's Isabella?" I asked when Alice came into my office at the house while I was working setting up accounts that would allow her current credit cards access to the off shore accounts.

"She's in her room sulking."

"Well we did take her new toy away."

"Jasper's not the only fish in the sea, but he's the only single vampire in the area. Maybe she'll find her mate in High School."

That thought made a cold chill run down my spine. "I hope not. I can't think of a single person at Forks High that would make a good vampire. Well, maybe Angela if we could get her away from her father."

Alice smiled as she made herself comfortable on my lap without even asking first. "I could see that. She'd be sexy, all tall and dark hair. Oh! We could take her up to meet the Denali family in Alaska!"

I glanced away from the datapad screen to her eyes. "Are you purposefully trying to hook her up with a girl?"

I received an odd look for a moment. "I think there's another difference in this world and yours."

"The coven is different?" I asked. "The single ones were Tanya, Kate, and Irena."

"And Caius," Alice added. "Although he probably wouldn't be her type. He leans more toward a man's man if you take my meaning, but anything is possible I suppose."

"Caius?" It couldn't be.

"Caius Denali. Um, he joined their coven back in the late eighth century if I remember right. He's an old one. The Volturi killed his companion and he wanted to be as far away from them as possible."

I blinked. "Caius. About five-nine, white hair, attitude problem?"

"You know him?"

I sighed. "He was one of the Volturi on my world."

"Wow. That's… messed up."

Saving my work I set the datapad aside for a moment. "Who are the kings of the Volturi here?"

"Well, Aro is pretty much the leader," she ticked off with one finger. "There there's Marcus, who is an utter bas… um not such a good guy. And lastly is Carl the Conqueror. He's their military brains, and again not such a good guy. He destroyed a number of covens by himself over the centuries."

"Carl…" I replied letting his hang out there. "About six-two, blonde hair, handsome."

"And completely lacking in any sort of compassion whatsoever," Alice added.

"He probably popped up around the late sixteen hundreds maybe?"

"You know him?"

"I hope not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

What were the odds that two very influential people in my life would be on diametrically opposed sides from one world to the next? Caius Volturi, now an animal drinker and most probably hiding in Alaska from those that at one time he would have called brothers. Then we had Carlisle Cullen, missing his one defining trait, his compassion for human life. A warlord? It was impossible to even contemplate. It had to be someone else.

"There's a little wrinkle between your eyes, Bella. I don't like it."

Leaning in I placed a light kiss on her lips. "I need you to watch over Isabella for the rest of the week, Alice. I have to go to Volterra and see Carl for myself."

"Bella…" she warned.

"Just to see him, not to kill anyone… at least not on purpose."


End file.
